Our organisation (ADC LAW which was founded in Ghana) has shown its presence in Abuja since 2005. Ours being a human rights/pro-democracy advocacy group has often come into clash with the Nigerian police. We have published two articles or reports against the Zuba Police Division on two occasions when we felt that the rights of residents of Zuba and environs including visitors to Zuba, or those who were coming to Zuba motor Ppark to board vehicles to various destinations were being violated by the police because of indiscriminate raiding and arrests.
D.P.O Paiko, left a legacy at Kwali and Kaduna (Rigachiku in particular) where he worked before as D.P.O Armed-robberies never took place where he worked. He has never allowed them, said he “And I will never allow that I am not going to be dispirited because of the malicious accusation; I will be toughened by that: so I will continue to raid criminal hideouts myself. I do not only send out my boys, I go out with them to monitor and direct every operation to ensure that innocent people are not molested”.
Before Sanni Paiko came to the helm of affairs in Zuba Police Division, there had been two serious security issues which no other D.P.O before him had ever tackled or addressed. One of such issues is the sale and consumption of Indian hemp and other hard-drugs in Zuba. The second issue of security concern is the criminal reign of a few bad eggs among the youths of Koro (the indigenes of Zuba and its environs). This band of cultists or terrorists had been on daily and hourly basis terrorising and maiming residents of Zuba who are non-indigenes and other innocent tourists/visitors to Zuba. This group of cultists use the machetes and other dangerous weapons freely on people, particularly girls who refused their amorous advances: oftentimes, they use these dangerous weapons to overpower their victims before raping them.
The Emir of Zuba, the members of his palace and other well-meaning indigenes (or Koro people) have been trying their best to stem this evil tide or lawlessness, any anarchy, which some of their sons have foisted on Zuba. Human rights are seriously abused by these cultists. They should be given a republic of their own or forced to respect the Nigerian laws and constituted authorities.
The reign of terror is what the D.P.O is tackling head-long. He wants to sacrifice himself for the good of Nigeria. I have seen him leading one of such nocturnal raids himself. He will sacrifice his sleep or comfort to chase criminals in the right. What a patriotic Nigerian like late General Murtala Mohammed and General Muhammadu Buhari. The federal Government and the police hierarchy should strengthen the hands of this D. P. O. The police authorities should accede to whatever requests he makes in order to help him rid Zuba and its environs of all criminal elements.
According to the D. P.O “Emma Sunshine Guest House, Romeo and Juliet Guest Inn and one other guest house have become black-spots in terms of security. They harbor prostitutes and male criminals. They also serve as havens for the sale and consumption of hard-drugs. They are also involved in criminal charms which are believed to shield the users from bullet and machetes attacks.
As for the accusation of extortion leveled against the new D. P.O., he replied: “Those who are making this allegation should come up to substantiate it if they know they are telling the truth. Secondly, I know that this hollow allegation is coming form the camp or quarters of one of the criminals on police wanted list. Himself and his comrades-in-crime are bringing up such accusation against me in order to weaken my resolve to rid Zuba of crime and gangsters”.
To my mind, the D. P.O’s first defense or line of argument holds no water. The only person who can come up to accuse the police openly to their face is either a soldier or a mad person who does not value his life. However, the second defense is plausible. They say that the best form of defense is attack. The criminals and their backers, I believe are on the offensive now using radio programs to castigate the D. P.O. They should go to hell. The D. P. O here is doing an excellent job for which the police authorities should give him kudos and encourage him. The police should discountenance the allegation of a faceless person/group against the “Action D.P.O”.
Nwarima Diala, ADC Law (Promoting human rights in Africa) wrote from Zuba
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