State Police and Police- Operational Efficiency: Footing For Strengthening National Security In Nigeria: – A Scrutiny of Ojo in Lagos State (Published)
The current insecurity in Nigeria which includes widespread killings, kidnappings, cultism and police brutality justifies the agitation for creation of state police in Nigeria. Hence, this paper assessed the creation of state police and police operational efficiency as footing for strengthening national security in Nigeria. The study applied theoretical and quantitative methods; information was sourced secondarily through content analysis of textbooks, journals and newspaper. The quantitative data was obtained through administration of 250 questionnaires to the residents of Ojo Local Government by applying simple random sampling and convince techniques. Findings showed that 66 %( 165) of the respondents were male while 34% (85) of the respondents were female, 79%(198) of the respondents strongly agreed that state police will resolve insecurity in Nigeria while 15%(37), strongly disagreed that creation of state police will resolve insecurity in Nigeria however 6%(15) of the respondents were neutral. The paper recommends creation of state police with strict judicial control and deployment of smart security technologies. This study will be of immense benefits to government at various levels, NGOs, the Nigeria Police Force and the researchers in the field of security and public administration.
Keywords: Efficiency, Lagos, Nigeria, Police, Police-operation, State
The Court and Police Protection of the Rights and Welfare of Juvenile Offenders during Arrest, Detention and Trial in Ghana (Published)
This study sought to explore and describe the practice of juvenile justice administration in Ghana within the context of the spirit and goals of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), together with other international instruments and principles on the protection and promotion of the rights of youth offenders. It thus aimed at identifying the gap that exists between stated principles and actual practice, and also sensitizes and mobilize the Ghanaian public and government on the need for humane treatment of young offenders in the country. In Ghana, governments have demonstrated the political will in the protection of rights and welfare of its children by being the first country to ratify the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Besides, Ghana’s Constitution and other status and regulations of the country protect the rights and welfare of juvenile offenders. Thus, since the 1990s, after the country had returned to constitutional and democratic rule, various mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the promotion and maintenance of basic human rights, especially the right of children in the spirit of the UNCRC. There are, however, circumstances that compromise the enjoyment of these rights and welfare of juvenile offenders in the country. The goal of the study was achieved by carrying out a research in one of the Ghana’s Borstal Institute and Osu Remand Home in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. The study was guided by this research question – How do the court and police protect the rights and welfare of juvenile offenders during arrest, detention and trial in Ghana? Data on the above were collected by employing structured questionnaire, face-to-face in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among a sample size of eighty-four (84). Findings of the study indicated that apart from the detention of juvenile offenders in the same holding cell with adults, and for more than 48 hours, they also face punitive treatments in the hands of the police and the custodial officers during detention and custody. It was also revealed that majority of juvenile offenders were also denied legal representation during trial. On the basis of the findings, this study recommended the need for a holistic approach in fulfilling the contents of all the treaties Ghana has ratified in connection with the protection of the rights and welfare of its juvenile offenders in its juvenile justice administration.
Keywords: Arrest, Child Rights, Child Welfare, Court, Detention, Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Offenders, Police, Trial
Police Corruption and the State: Prevalence and Consequences (Published)
Corruption is endemic social problem in Nigerian society; it is particularly objectionable in Nigeria Police Force. This study x-ray prevalence and consequences of corruption in Nigeria Police Force. It predominantly utilized secondary data. This study has identified that, in Nigeria, the police force has become an epitome of all multi corrupt and fraudulent schemes which constitute a stumbling block to the effective administration of justice and efficient maintenance of law and order in Nigeria and have soiled the image of the force. Thus, the study recommends fundamental restructuring, reorganization, total war against police graft to re-invent a new image for the police and professionalization through further training and re-education in the force which would hopefully launch the Nigerian Police Force on the positive side of history.
Keywords: Corruption, Justice, Law enforcement, Nigeria Police Force, Police, Security, Social problem
Corruption and People’s Opinion on the Removal of Police Check-Points in Yobe State (Published)
Police checkpoint is one of the most dreaded sights by motorists in Nigeria due to the dominance of extortion over all other activities at checkpoints instead of the normal stop-and-frisk expected of a security agent thereby affecting the efficiency of the force in preventing, detecting and containing crime. Yobe state with its high number of Boko-Haram induced checkpoints is one of the states where strong reactions follow the removal of police blockades in other parts of the country. This paper attempts, using survey research technique to assess the perception of the people of Yobe state on the removal of police frisk-barricades from the roads as a means of reducing police corruption in the country. The research found out among other things; that people of Yobe state believe that the removal will tremendous effect in reducing police extortion that has direct bearing on the common man. The study recommends inter alia the review of police salary and welfare packages, introduction of technology driven frisking system and policing the police technique of fishing out corrupt personnel.
Keywords: Corruption, Extortion, Perception, Police
POLICE CORRUPTION AND THE STATE: PREVALENCE AND CONSEQUENCES (Published)
Corruption is endemic social problem in Nigerian society; it is particularly objectionable in Nigeria Police Force. This study x-ray prevalence and consequences of corruption in Nigeria Police Force. It predominantly utilized secondary data. This study has identified that, in Nigeria, the police force has become an epitome of all multi corrupt and fraudulent schemes which constitute a stumbling block to the effective administration of justice and efficient maintenance of law and order in Nigeria and have soiled the image of the force. Thus, the study recommends fundamental restructuring, reorganization, total war against police graft to re-invent a new image for the police and professionalization through further training and re-education in the force which would hopefully launch the Nigerian Police Force on the positive side of history.
Keywords: Corruption, Justice, Law enforcement, Nigeria Police Force, Police, Security, Social problem