Using Africa Traditional Methods For Policing Valid, Says Police Spokesman

Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has said that using Africa traditional methods otherwise known as ‘African science’ for policing is valid and no law prohibits the Nigerian Police Force from conducting investigation, and arrest of suspected criminals and general policing using the formal and informal means.

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports that ACP Adejobi stated this on Wednesday at the Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) 5rd annual lecture series and convention held at Vienna International hotel, Asaba, the Delta state capital.

ACP Adejobi, who spoke as a guest lecturer at the event with the topic; “Security Challenges: Finding Local Implementable Solutions”, said that the theme of the lecture was apt as embracing African ways of policing environments is not forbidden even in the police force.

He stressed the effectiveness of informal and spiritual methods used by some communities to protect citizens and their properties.

“Like I said when I was delivering my lecture, there are many ways – Africa ways of policing our environment. Whatever ways you want to adopt there is nothing wrong about it”.

“There are both formal and informal ways of protecting citizens and their properties. I made mention of certain examples where some communities actually went diabolical or spiritual to police their community. There is nothing wrong about it so long as it doesn’t involve human sacrifice”, he warned.

While delivering the robust lecture topic, Adejobi shared personal experiences where his community used thunderbolts on NEPA poles to deter vandalism, resulting in unused wires remaining untouched for 22 years.

“It happened in my community too. Even the pole incident happened in my community. My father was a king so I was a living witness. I was in the Palace when the man said ‘this is what we can do to police these poles’ and they put thunder bolts on NEPA poles.

“Until now, 22 years later, the wires are laying fallow because they diverted the light. They’re not using that light again. They’re using Ife to my place now. Even despite the fact that those wires are dead – there is nothing there, not powered – but nobody has the guts to go and remove the wires”.

He, however, attributed the decline in community security to the erosion of moral values, culture, and tradition.and urged the media practitioners to enlighten the people on the need for communities to reclaim their moral values, culture, and traditions to ensure perfect security.

“So there are so many ways to police our communities but because we have lost our moral values, we have lost our culture, we lost the tradition of having perfect security in our various communities”.

He stressed the need for a balanced approach to security, encouraging communities to work with law enforcement agencies.

“We must be sensitive to our surroundings, security-conscious, and dominate our communities regarding security issues,” he said.

“We’ve lost our sense of community and security consciousness,” he noted, adding; “We no longer notice or report strange faces or movements, and everyone minds their own business.”

“Before we used to take note of strangers that come to our communities but now nobody cares again. We don’t bother. If you see strange faces or unusual movements we don’t even do anything, everybody now goes about their own business and this is not helping us.

“We must be sensitive to things around us. We must be security conscious and dominate your communities as par security issues and make sure we protect lives and properties. So I am not against having many ways of policing our environment”, he emphasized.

However, he condemned jungle justice, urging citizens to trust the security system and hand over suspects to law enforcement agencies.

“What we don’t want is taking laws into your hands. The issue of jungle justice is condemned in totality and we don’t encourage anybody to arrest any suspect and pounce on the suspect to the extent of causing grievous bodily harm or at times some maiming. This is not encouraged at all.

“People should arrest suspects and hand them over to the police, following due process to protect the legal framework and judiciary processes in Nigeria.”, he said.