The Viewers Corner News team condemned the actions of the two Nigerian police officers for trying to collect a bribe from a Dutch tourist. Dismissing them was nice, and they deserved what they got. But it will not stop other Nigerian police officers from collecting bribes. As much as the Viewers Corner News team blamed those two Nigerian police officers for their wrongdoings, we are also looking at the main reason most of these Nigerian police officers collect bribes. Our findings revealed that some of the senior officers of the Nigerian police force are also involved in this act. According to some of the Nigerian police officers who spoke to our correspondent in confidence, most times, their bosses at the office allegedly give them targets on how much money they would bring as returns to them. So if any police officer goes out and does not bring back any money, then next time, such police officer may likely not be included among those that would be sent on road work. Another point is that officers of the Nigerian police force are not properly cared for. The Viewers Corner News team had the opportunity to go around some states in Nigeria sometime ago, and what we saw was shocking. Most buildings housing the officers of the Nigerian police force are very old and dirty. They live so poorly, meaning that no human being would live under such a condition and would not like to collect money from another source. Even when the police officer in question knows that it is illegal to do so, such an individual would damn the consequence, as long as the money gets to his hands at that point in time. Also, this attitude of collecting money illegally is in most divisions of the armed forces of Nigeria, including other government offices across Nigeria, even up to the universities in Nigeria. Some Nigerians who are seeking admission into universities abroad are asked by most officials of Nigerian universities to pay a certain amount of money as a bribe before their transcripts can be sent to the universities abroad. Even when it is stated on the websites of some Nigerian universities that the university will send your transcript after paying the official stated fees on the school’s website, The Viewers Corner News team is not trying to justify the actions of these two dismissed Nigerian police officers, but then, the government of Nigeria should also look into the welfare of the police officers and see if they can upgrade their standard of living because, as it is now, the officers of the Nigerian police force are poorly paid and treated. Again, before any police officer in Nigeria is sacked from office, there should be a proper investigation to know why those officers committed the crimes. It could also be that such police officers are being put under pressure by their superior for not delivering the target that they were asked to deliver. If the investigation proves to be correct, then the police officers on that shift, including their boss, should be sacked immediately because they are working as a team. This method may bring sanity to the Nigerian police force if it is implemented. Another worst division is the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Nigeria. Most of those immigration officers there demand bribes as if their lives depend on it. Therefore, Nigeria as a country needs a complete overhaul of the whole system with a leader whose integrity is still intact, not a leader whose identity is not known, who forged all his certificates, and who has soiled his hands on illegal drugs. If Nigerians can get a leader who has not committed any of the crimes we list here, then that would be the beginning of a total change that is needed to move the country forward.
Source: Viewers Corner News