Between the Dutch Rider and the Policemen

Between the Dutch Rider and the Policemen

By Zayd Ibn Isah

A recent viral video on social media depicted a hilarious yet sad encounter between a Dutch rider and two policemen along the Iseyin-Ogbomosho road in Oyo State. In the two minutes viral video captured by her body camera, the officers flagged down the female rider, and they exchanged pleasantries. One of the officers asked where she was coming from.

“Netherland” the Dutch rider responded, “Netherlands?” the officer expressed surprise, as he pointed at the screen fixed on top of the motorbike. The conversation continued amusingly, with the officers mimicking her tone even as they struggled to express themselves in simple English.

It would have been one of her best encounters with law enforcement officials in the country, if the conversation had ended with exchange of pleasantries, and the simple questions of “where are you coming from and where are you going?” But the officers shot themselves in the foot when they asked the rider for “egunje”. Egunje, literally means a traditional herbal powder and can be interpreted idiomatically to mean a bribe.

Back to their conversations. “Give me something nah. How is family? Wetin you bring come? Wetin you wan give me?” the officers repeatedly asked the Dutch rider.

The response from the Dutch rider indicated her lack of understanding of the officers’ request in Pidgin English.

To clarify, one of the officers said: “Give me money,” gesturing with his hands. The Dutch rider responded with: “Money, why?”. Their conversations ended abruptly, as there was an order from above to allow her proceed on her journey.

Predictably, Nigerians reacted angrily, condemning the actions of the policemen and tagging it as an international embarrassment.

In response, the police high command swung into action immediately and arrested the culprits, promising to bring them to book. It was further clarified that the officers in question are special police constabularies and not real police officers paid with taxpayers’ money to carry out their duties. For those who may not know, the special police constabularies are mainly employed by state governments as part of the community policing drive. It does not come with salaries or emoluments as it is a volunteer duty by patriotic citizens who want to contribute their quota to the fight against crimes and criminality in the country. But some state governments gives them stipends to boost their morale.

That notwithstanding, Nigerians were right to express concern about the conduct of the police constabularies. Unfortunately, the Dutch rider’s experience is what most commuters go through on our roads in the hands of security personnel daily, sometimes in a more horrific manner. But there is another side to the story that Nigerians, who have already formed the single-story narrative that all Nigeria police officers are the same, don’t know, or they know but wouldn’t want to talk about because it paints the country in a good light and not in a bad light as the case may be.

Interestingly, the Dutch rider actually had two such encounters with policemen. Before the embarrassing incident with the special police constabularies in Oyo, there was another video of her being flagged down by police officers on a routine stop-and-search duty somewhere in Ogun State. In that encounter, as captured by her body camera, the policemen were professional and communicated well in simple English. Unsurprisingly, that did not trend because probably, they did not embarrass the country by asking for “egunje.”

Sadly, some Nigerians are very quick to condemn the country whenever something nasty happens. To such people, there is nothing good that can come out of the country and its police force, and even when they are proven wrong, they keep mum, waiting for another bad thing to have happened, so they can say, “I said it. This country no fit better again.”

The Dutch rider’s two encounters with the policemen may have vindicated what some of us keep saying to those who care to listen: that not all police officers are bad, greedy, and corrupt. There are good police officers in Nigeria, and just as there are good Nigerians, there are good Nigerian police officers. This is because ultimately, the law enforcement arm of any country is a reflective product of its society.

To conclude, the Nigeria Police Force may not be perfect, but some of the officers are doing their best to uphold the tenets of the law, while risking their lives. And in criticizing the bad of actions of the bad eggs in the system, let’s try and be objective by giving credit to those who deserve it, ni tori oloun. At least, one expected that the same energy used to condemn the actions of the special constabularies in Oyo should be used to commend the professional behaviour of the border patrol team of the police in Ogun. Because what is good for the goose should also be good for the gander. If all policemen are not good because the policemen in Ogun State acted professionally to the Dutch rider, why should all policemen be bad because the policemen in Oyo acted otherwise? You see my problem with some of these people, ba?

Anyway, may Nigeria succeed.

Zayd Ibn Isah can be reached at [email protected]