The Role of Nigeria Police Force in the Administration of Justice: Issues and Challenges
Chapter One
Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of this research work are:
- To examine the role of the Nigeria Police in the administration of justice.
- To identify the inadequacies of the police in the discharge of their functions.
- To proffer practical solutions for combating crimes in Nigeria.
- CHAPTER TWO
Historical Development of the Nigeria Police Force 2.1 Introduction
Nigeria police began with a thirty-member consular guard formed in Lagos Colony in 1861.1In 1879 a 1,200 member armed parliamentary Hausa constabulary was formed.2In 1896, the Lagos Police was established.3 A similar force for the Niger Coast constabulary was formed in Calabar in 1894 under the newly proclaimed Niger Coast Protectorate4in the North, the Royal Niger Company set up the Royal Niger Constabulary in 1888 with headquarters in Lokoja.5
The Police is a unit of armed forces established for the maintenance of law and order. It is a branch or department of government which is charged with preservation of public order and tranquility, enforcement of laws, the promotion of public health, safety and morals; the prevention, detection and prosecution of offenders.6
The Nigeria Police, which is charged with these enormous responsibilities in the geo-political entity called “Nigeria”, has been under intense public criticism in the last three decades over its apparent inability to effectively prevent and control crime7. In the words of Dambazau: “so many factors have been attributed to this failed situation. Firstly, there is the issue of lack of professionalism, generally attributed to recruitment policy, which has effect on the quality of manpower; the problem of poor training and general atmosphere of indiscipline. Secondly, corruption in the Nigeria Police is said to be endemic, and has eaten deep into the very fabric of the system”8
Okereke observed that, many Nigerians see the policeman as a “lazy, corrupt, inefficient, bribe-taking, money-extorting officer”.9 Whatever the perceived inadequacies in the police system are, the Nigeria Police Force still remains the biggest, most viable and important sub-sector of the criminal justice system. The police present the entry point into the criminal justice system either through reports from the public or its own discovery.10 The average citizen has contact with the police more, than with any other organ or agency for administration of criminal justice. The police, therefore, may form the basis for the evaluation of the entire criminal justice system. This, therefore, makes the operational policies and procedures of the police very crucial to the image of the entire criminal justice system.11 The importance of the police may however be the reason behind the police being the “bashing child” whenever a crime is committed against the citizen, notwithstanding the fact that the citizen may have contributed to his misfortune. This may be why Kuteyi and Ogunfola have the same reasoning when they said:
CHAPTER THREE
The Role of Police in Arrest and Investigation of Crime in Nigeria 3.1 Introduction
The mention of law in any circumstance, the first among all its tenets that readily comes to mind is that of crime… At the 21st century, it is no longer a hidden agenda to assert that six of the ancient mosaic canons of human conduct ever known to history, i.e. the Ten Commandments1, including Nigeria. Equally for the conferment of the law degree by any Law Faculty, the framework of the national and international criminal laws has remained one of the core subjects to be studied. It can be imagined of a lawyer who was not trained as an attorney in crimes.2
It is common knowledge however that, not all illegal acts nor all legal wrongs are crimes and punished as such; neither are they all civil wrongs which can be remedied by mere adjudication between the individuals concerned.3
CHAPTER FOUR
Modern Trends, and Challenges in the Administration of Justice by the Police Force
Introduction
The primary duties of a modern police force lie in the prevention, detection and prosecution of crime. In this research, the role of the NPF in the fight against crime will be more closely examined.
The official records1of the NPF between 1930 and 1965 showed that despite difficulties in the fight against crime, satisfactory results were attained, but the record has to be examined in the light of the prevailing conditions of the period.
In the first place, there was the period of severe economic strain and stress during the depression. In this era illicit distillation of spirits, counterfeiting, child stealing, peddling of Indian hemp (cannabis sativa) and armed robbery were rife in parts of Nigeria; the most troublesome areas being the Warri and Owerri provinces and the Agege district near Lagos.2
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