New York, January 2, 2008---Following unprecedented ‘fireworks’, ‘crossfire’, ‘high jump’, ‘somersaulting’, ‘hide and seek’, ‘camouflage’, ‘running for cover’ and all the very strange high-level behaviors over plots and attempted plots to remove the little and lanky ‘young boys’ bent on socially engineering corruption out of Nigerian’s psyche, Africans In America News Watch researchers  went to work to feel the pulse of the ‘police and intelligence families’ for some sort of lessons from this whole episode.

Our researchers came up with a lot of hypothesis and theories most of which have the capability of over-heating the already over-charged system. We then decided that while contributing to the ongoing debate and discourse on the direction and future of Nigeria nation-state, we may learn something from a retired very senior officer of the Nigeria Police Force who wish to remain anonymous because collecting his pension regularly is very important to him at this moment and he does not want his opinion on anything to jeopardize it.

The retired officer expressed embarrassment that his police is being used in this ‘high-level corruption chess game’. He felt that the police hierarchy is missing-out and mismanaging the ample opportunity presented by the ‘Ribadu Removal Scandal’ forced on it. He charged, “That Ribadu and EFCC boys are our boys, we trained them, we produced them, we gave Ribadu to Nigeria. Now, we have been forced to withdraw him. Ribadu is a policeman the force will be very proud of because he has done very well. The glory of his achievements belongs to the police. We should take credit for his wonderful achievements. Ribadu and his team are proof that something good is inside the Nigeria Police Force. We should use Ribadu to argue that everybody in Nigeria Police is not dysfunctional, hopeless and corrupt beyond redemption. Ribadu is good for police, he is good for Nigeria, and he is good for the world. We should support the young man and not tear him down. Ribadu has a lot of support from all over the place you can think of and he did better than most of us, but we should not be jealous of that. Infact, God and Nigerians will not forgive anyone who tears that young man down. Let’s face it; we are holding Nigeria to ransom today but who says it will continue forever.”

The retired high-ranking police officer went a bit biblical and personal, “Seek and you shall find; you just have to search and you will find some good policemen in the force I served. This is what I am seeing in the whole brouhaha. To be frank, Nigeria today is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. Everybody in Nigeria is tainted by corruption in one way or another and we should encourage these boys for their zeal and efforts. This should be the message we (the police) should be sending out. Corruption affects every one negatively; if corruption is not checked or stopped, I will not collect my pension today and you will not collect yours when you age like me tomorrow, remember that. What those boys are doing are for me and you, for everybody and for humanity”.

Asked where he worships because he sounds religious, the aged senior officer replied, “I am a traditionalist, I’m a traditional man; I worship the spirit of my ancestors, that is my religion. ‘Seek and thou shall find; and, ask and it shall be given to thou’ are very famous quotes everybody should know”. “I am educated you know. I had read many books; I finished Standard Six, finished Cambridge under the missionary plus lots of courses in the force. Humans are religious beings, everybody is religious, everybody worships something. I hope I have answered your questions”, said the old man with some graceful smile.

Asked whether he is satisfied with the role the police he worked played in this episode, the high-ranking retired cop had this to say, “I know Mike Okiro, he was my boy, he worked under me. Mike is a fine officer you could depend on to accomplish a mission at any time, rain or shine, he is a system officer, a perfect team-player. When it comes to fighting street crimes, Mike is tough and rugged. However, neither Mike nor his office of the Inspector General of Police is the problem. The core problem is the institutionalized abuse, neglect, humiliation, disrespect and ruin of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) by the same people that ruined Nigeria including the immediate past government. That is the crux of the matter; that is what is continuing; that is what you are seeing, and that has not been addressed. This government’s attempt to return to the rule of law is good for everyone and every institution in Nigeria, including the police force. It is up to the police to now free itself from hostage situation, to liberate itself and serve the nation instead of few cliques. That is the challenge before the Inspector-General and the Nigeria Police Force”.

The retired senior officer lamented, “You have to understand this; the politics, neglect, abuse and humiliation the Nigeria police had suffered since the military involvement in government continues till today. Those who don’t like the police continue to use us and force us to do dirty jobs. This whole Ribadu Removal Episode is a continuation of that dirty job. Nigeria Police is beginning to look good and see how they now forced us to offend the Nigerian people, again. Now everybody is blaming the police again without understanding the handicap the force is facing, the struggle, the powerlessness, the internal politics of pushing and forcing the police to do dirty jobs. At some time we have to really do something to free the force from abuse and neglect by those in power.”

Concluding, the concerned senior citizen cautiously made a plea, “please my son, do not use my name anywhere, and you have to understand that we are like family in the police force, my life depends on my pension and I do not want trouble to myself or my family”.