I once had a puppy named 'Mini. Mini was a maixed breed of a Bernese mountain dog and a German shepherd, she need not be a chihuahua to look cute. I was her protector when she was a puppy and her barks sounded more like a soundtrack for a cartoon. I never used harsh words on her or wielded any object against her until the day I eventually did, I observed her cartoon-like growl transform into a real bark. Obviously she thought her 'Aunty protector' had turned into a predator and she of course 'the prey'.
I bet you that you love my story but am not talking about dogs today. If you have been sticking your nose in the news headlines lately, you would notice that there has been a lot of military brutality against civilians ranging from the Police, Navy and Army (but the police are the ones deeply soaked in the mire). It seems these well trained and armed men go through the drilling and when they are eventually out, they test their skills on unarmed innocent civilians.
A leading national daily had the story of a woman who had been childless for ten years only to lose her pregnancy to police brutality. The woman was beaten black and blue which led to her being brutally injured and having a miscarriage. A month ago a similar event occured when a naval officer and her colleagues beat up an elderly woman and her daughter for a very flimsy excuse.
Similar and worse events occur on a daily basis and it seems no one is calling the armed men to order.
In Nigeria, nobody does a thing to abate a situation till it becomes dire. When a protector becomes a predator, the prey becomes........ We are yet to figure this out because the situation may not continue like this for long with helpless people lamenting over their brutality.
There have been cases where motorists, passengers and even neutral passers-by have been hit by the bullet of trigger-happy policemen who seek for their fifty naira 'Egunje'
The most heart-piercing part of this is that justice is never meted out, the case is always swept under the carpet.
Uncle protectors, please do not violate our constitutional right by treating us in ways that degrade our human dignity and do follow legally established procedures in cases of arrest and detention.
I also plead with the Chief of defence staff, Inspector general of the police force and commissioners of the police to ensure that this brutality is stopped.
We as civilians too should stay out of trouble and be law-abiding citizens
God bless The Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I bet you that you love my story but am not talking about dogs today. If you have been sticking your nose in the news headlines lately, you would notice that there has been a lot of military brutality against civilians ranging from the Police, Navy and Army (but the police are the ones deeply soaked in the mire). It seems these well trained and armed men go through the drilling and when they are eventually out, they test their skills on unarmed innocent civilians.
A leading national daily had the story of a woman who had been childless for ten years only to lose her pregnancy to police brutality. The woman was beaten black and blue which led to her being brutally injured and having a miscarriage. A month ago a similar event occured when a naval officer and her colleagues beat up an elderly woman and her daughter for a very flimsy excuse.
Similar and worse events occur on a daily basis and it seems no one is calling the armed men to order.
In Nigeria, nobody does a thing to abate a situation till it becomes dire. When a protector becomes a predator, the prey becomes........ We are yet to figure this out because the situation may not continue like this for long with helpless people lamenting over their brutality.
There have been cases where motorists, passengers and even neutral passers-by have been hit by the bullet of trigger-happy policemen who seek for their fifty naira 'Egunje'
The most heart-piercing part of this is that justice is never meted out, the case is always swept under the carpet.
Uncle protectors, please do not violate our constitutional right by treating us in ways that degrade our human dignity and do follow legally established procedures in cases of arrest and detention.
I also plead with the Chief of defence staff, Inspector general of the police force and commissioners of the police to ensure that this brutality is stopped.
We as civilians too should stay out of trouble and be law-abiding citizens
God bless The Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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