By Eitokpah Sunday Akata
A police uniform is a symbol of public authority, but behind every badge is a human being.
Every day, police officers leave their homes to respond to emergencies, prevent crime, protect lives and property, maintain public order and enforce the law. Yet, increasingly, there are disturbing instances in which officers are assaulted, obstructed or violently resisted while carrying out their duties. This should concern every law-abiding citizen.
VIOLENCE
A society cannot demand effective policing while simultaneously normalising violence against the people entrusted with maintaining law and order. When an officer is attacked in the course of a lawful duty, the issue goes beyond the individual officer. It touches the authority of the state and the ability of institutions to protect the public.
The law is clear. Section 98 of the Police Act 2020 provides that a person who assaults, obstructs or resists a police officer in the discharge of his duty commits an offence, punishable upon conviction by a fine of ₦500,000, imprisonment for six months, or both.
RESPECT
But respect for the police must never be confused with immunity from accountability.
Where a police officer is alleged to have acted unlawfully, abused his powers or violated the rights of a citizen, the appropriate response is to report the matter and pursue lawful redress. Nigeria’s human-rights framework provides avenues for complaints and accountability, including through the National Human Rights Commission.
The same principle should apply to everyone: no citizen is above the law, and no police officer is above the law.
HUMAN DIGNITY
The challenge before us, therefore, is to build a culture in which citizens understand that disagreement with a police officer does not give them the right to resort to violence, while police officers understand that the authority of the badge carries a corresponding duty to act professionally, lawfully and with respect for human dignity.
This balance is essential to public trust. The police need the confidence and cooperation of the people to do their work effectively. Citizens, in turn, need to know that when they encounter the police, their rights will be respected and their complaints will receive appropriate attention.
Recent efforts by the Nigeria Police Force and the National Human Rights Commission to strengthen institutional cooperation on human-rights protection recognise that effective policing and human rights are not competing objectives.
DANGEROUS EXTREMES
We must therefore resist two dangerous extremes: the idea that every police action should be accepted without question, and the equally dangerous idea that frustration with the police justifies attacking officers.
Neither serves justice.
If an officer misconducts himself, report him. If an arrest is believed to be unlawful, seek legal redress. If a complaint is genuine, pursue it through the appropriate channel. But do not turn an allegation into an excuse for violence.
Likewise, police officers must remember that every encounter with a citizen is an opportunity either to strengthen or weaken public confidence in the institution.
The uniform demands discipline. The badge demands responsibility. Police authority must always be exercised within the law.
PROTECTION
Ultimately, the protection of police officers and the protection of citizens are not opposing causes. They are part of the same objective: a society governed by law rather than force.
The police cannot effectively protect a society that does not respect lawful authority. And the public cannot fully trust a police institution that does not respect the law it is mandated to enforce.
The answer is not fear. It is not confrontation. It is not impunity.
MUTUAL RESPECT
It is law, accountability, professionalism and mutual respect.
Behind every badge is a human being. Protect the person. Respect lawful authority. Demand accountability where necessary. And above all, respect the rule of law.
Eitokpah Sunday Akata*, ANIPR, MNISMA , Assistant Superintendent of Police is the Police Public Relations Officer, CCross River State Police Command
