university of nigeria1:2 statement of problem ... at the end, responses were presented in a tabular...
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University of Nigeria Research Publications
Aut
hor
UZOMA, Cyriacus O. PG/M.Sc/Ph.D/05/40183
Title
The Problem of Maintenance and Enforcement of Discipline in the Nigeria Police: (A Case Study of
UNN Police)
Facu
lty
Social Sciences
Dep
artm
ent
Public Administration and Local Government
Dat
e
June, 2007
Sign
atur
e
THE PROBLEM OF MAINTENANCE AND ENFORCEMENT OF DISCIPLINE IN THE NIGERIA
POLICE; (A CASE STUDY OF UNN POLICE)
UZOMA OBIAGHANGAYA CYRIACUS PGIMSC-PhDlO5140183
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA
TITLE PAGE
THE PROBLEM OF MAINTENANCE AND ENFORCEMENT OF DISCIPLINE IN THE NIGEFUA POLICE. (A CASE STUDY OF UNN
POLICE)
UZOMA OBIAGHANGAYA CYFUACUS PGIMSC-PHDlO5140183
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE COLLEGE OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN PUBLIC
* ADMINISTRATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
JUNE 2007
CERTIFICATION
This project has been certified to meet the requirements of the departments
of public administration and local government, university of Nigeria, Nsukka in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of masters of science (M.S.C)
with specialization in personnel administration.
The work embodied in this search paper is original and has not been
submitted in any other university.
Dr. (Mrs.) R.C. Onah Supervisor
Dr. R.C. Onah Head of Department
project has
ion and Local
1
-
. (Mrs) R.C. Onah M cad of Depart mcnl
. . . 111
Public
DEDICATION
Absolutely dedicated to my three little daughters, Mary Jane Uzoma,
Amaka Uzoma and Obianauju ~zoma' for their benevolence in providing the most
needed atmosphere that eventually made the completion of this work a huge
success.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I most sincerely thank the God almighty that both encouraged me and made
this course possible.
May I also, thank in a special way, our dear mother in Christ Dr. (Mrs R.C
.Onah, an institution and I reference library who is Godly for her supervision and
expert advise given at the most needed period. In the same vein, I, recognize and
thank, the then Head of Department, Prof. N.N. Elekwa, our then, Dean of
Faculty, Prof, F.C Okoli, Dr. Tony Oiyishi, Dr. M.A.O. Obi, Dr. O.U. Nnadozie,
Late Dr. Mr. Ebonyi Ozor and the host of other Lecturers in the Department of
Public Administration and Local Government (P.A.L.G) for their indebt
knowledge in teaching and for having exhibited the desired professional
mannerism that improved and conveyed the desired knowledge. ,
Finally, I wish to express my wealth of gratitude to my friends especially
my class Rep. Nnamani Desmond, former Dean of postgraduate school for their
invaluable assistance rendered to me at the needed time.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................................................... i . . CERTIFICATION ............................................................................................................ 11
... DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. 111
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................. iv
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... v .. TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... v11
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... ........ 1
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ................................................................. 1
1:2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM ......................................................................... 3
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ...................................................................... 5
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................. 6
1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF STUDY ..................................................... 7
CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 8
2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH METHOD ................................ 8
2.1.1 THE BIRTH OF THE NPF ............................................................................... 8
2.1.2 THE POLICE. FUNCTION AND STATUTORY POWERS .......................... 9
2.1.3 DISCIPLINE AS A CONCEPT AND IT FORMS: ....................................... 10
2.1.4 KIND OF INDISCIPLINE IN THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE ................. 12
......... 2.1.5 HISTORICAL OVER VIEW OF INDISCIPLINE IN THE NIGERIA 13
2.1.6 REVIEW OF POLICE INTERNAL DISCIPLINARY SYSTEMS ............... 18
2.1.7 DISCRIMINATORY AND REACTIVE NATURE OF INTERNAL REVIEW
SYSTEM .......................................................................................................... 19
2.1.8 BRIEF FUNCTION OF THE POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION .............. 24
2.1.9 FACTORS RESPONSIBLE F ~ R FALLING OF DISCIPLINE IN THE
FORCE ............................................................................................................ 38
............................................................................................... 2.2 HYPOTHESES 47
viii
2.3 THEORETICAL FRAME WORK ................................................................. 48
2.4 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION ........................................................... 50
2.5 METHOD OF DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS ........................ 51
2.6 OPERATIONALIZATION OF KEY CONCEPTS ................................. 51
CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................ 55
3: 1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE STUDY AREA ..................... 55
3;2 POWERS AND FUNCTIONS ....................................................................... 55
3;3 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS ................................................................... . 57
3;4 DISCIPLINARY TECHNIQUES ................................................................... 57
CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................... 59
4.1 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS ................................................ 59
CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................ 66
5.1 SUMMARY .................................................................................................... 66
5.2 CONCLUSION (1) ........................................................................................ 68
5.3 RECOMMENDATION .................................................................................. 71
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 76
APPENDICES ................................................................................................................. 80
LIST OF TABLES
1 : Data Presentation and Analysis ...............................
2: Is any or all of these factors part of the problems of
ABSTRACT
In controvertibly, this research was on the problem of maintenance and
enforcement of discipline in the NPF. The need for the research arose as a result of the
fact that NPF had been severally maligned and ubiquitously condemned for act of
indiscipline such as flagrant abuse of power, negative attitude to work which had resulted
in poor performance of duty and high rate of corruption. The, researcher gave a
condemned account of the genesis of the force and exhumed the fundamental factors
responsible for the problems associated with maintenance and enforcement of discipline
in the force. As part of literature review, the police internal disciplinary mechanisms were
X-rayed and its flaws noted. The factors responsible for the falling standard of discipline
were heaped on and prudently expatiated upon. To collect data, the researcher made use
of both primary and secondary methods df data required for this project through primary
data, the researcher made use of men of police campus monitoring unit university of
Nigeria Nsukka, officers and men drawn from Area Command and Nsukka Divisional
Headquarters. It entailed the preparation and distribution of questionnaires to the chosen
population. At the end, responses were presented in a tabular form and also in
percentages. As an insider, the researcher made use of personal observation and
interviews. In view of the above, the following hypothetical propositions were tested:
Nigeria police force operates in an environment deemed to be sublimely corrupt it
appears that poor remuneration is one of the problems greatly responsible for the
maintenance and enforcement of discipline. The problem may be as a result of much
layered internal disciplinary mechanisms deemed to be cumbersome. In chapter four, the
researcher made sure that data collected were presented in a tabular form and properly
analysed. In this chapter, certain inferences were drawn from seven critical questions
asked. In chapter five, the researcher gave a condensed account of the birth of the NPF
force, Its duties and functions as contained mostly in sections 23-30 of the police act.
While elucidation the need to have and maintain a disciplined ,force, the problem
associated with indiscipline was also expatiated upon. The findings exhumed the cradle
of the problem associated with maintenance and enforcement of discipline in the force.
According to the study, it started during the colonial masters who were the founders of
the force. After the demise of the colonial masters, it was understood that the internal
disciplinary systems for the maintenance and enforcement of discipline were both much
layered and full of claws. The study recommends amongst other things that the leadership
of the force should give discipline a priority attention to the effect that the bad police men
and women should be flushed out of the force. It also supported the notion for an
improved condition of service and e&ance welfare package for all officers. Also
promotion of cade (- officers should be drawn from within while alternating the exercise
with regular promotion of all members of the force as at when due.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Nigeria Police Force
Was born when the Hausa police commanded by an inspector general of
police and the Southern police force came together under ordinance No.2 of 1930.
This newly created Nigeria police force had its headquarters in Lagos.
The provision of this ordinance had persistently been reLenacted in all the
successive constitutions of Nigeria till date as evident in section 214 of the
Nigerian constitution, 1999 and section 3 of the police Act.
Globally, the police is an indispensable institution that cannot be dispensed
with. It is in recognition of the importance of the police that made the force to be
given wide powers. The raison d'etre is to enable the police as an organization to
perform its vital functions effectively and efficiently
The Nigeria police force like other police forces in the world, it is
statutorily saddled with a lot of duties and responsibilities. At least, the society
cannot function well if the environment is not secured. Secured environment can
only be said to exist when all forms of crime and criminal activities are either
palliated or obliterated, when the fundamental principles of human rights are
observed and the enforcement of our laws is perfectly done.
There is no gain-saying the fact that the Nigeria police force has been
bestowed with a lot of powers. Sonie critics called and still call it unlimited
powers, perhaps due to the fact that the police in the past had been alleged to have
flagrantly abused their statutory powers. However, these powers are given to them
to enable them discharge their functions as contained in section 4 of the police Act
Cap 359 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990%
By the nature of the hnctions of the police, members of the force are bound
to have contact with the society on day to day basis. For this reason, their activities
and conducts are strictly regulated by laws and regulations to avoid excesses in the
enforcement of laws. Thus, the policeman has to be abreast with the laws and
should know the limitations of his statutory powers at all times in order to
maintain his balance.
Based on the foregoing, it is absolutely expedient to point out that the
Nigeria police force has professional ethics evolved since its inception. These
professional ethics project a code of conduct expected of all officers and men of
the force bordering on how they relate amongst themselves and to members of the
public they are serving. Specific breaches of these professional ethics or code of
conduct from serving officers and men of the force at times amount to disciplinary
offences for which the person involved may be punished internally.
These rules and regulations may be statutory as in the case of the police
regulations or mere written procedures that state clearly the dos and don'ts of the
organization. In either case, procedures for dealing with breaches are written and
thus must not be violated. For example, the first schedule police regulation 370,
Cap 359, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 lists out all the actions that may
amount to offence by a serving member. Disciplinary procedures for the officer
cadre of the force are spelt out under the public service rules (Revised to 1''
January, 2000) paragraph 04101 to 04601 and the code of conduct under part XV
of the police Regulations.
With regards to maintenance and enforcement of discipline in the force, the
Nigeria qolice force has a multilayered internal disciplinary system that can
theoretically be invoked by members of the public that are aggrieved by acts of
police misconduct or flagrant abuse of the ethics of their profession. Therefore,
maintenance of discipline among the personnel of the force through the
enforcement of laws, orders, and regulations is a major responsibility of the
hierarchy of the Nigeria police force working in liaison with the police service
commission. This task is not easy hence the problems associated with the
maintenance a n d enforcement of discipline in the Nigeria police force.
1:2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The Nigeria police came into existence following the amalgamation of Northern
and Southern protectorates. That was in 1914, when for obvious reasohs, our erst while
colonial masters thought it expedient to do so.
It is pertinent to point out that the birth did not just happen. It was the
circumstance prevalent in the region that made the amalgamation a must if the British
administration should continue with little or no resistance. Then, the truth is that it was
when the colonial government and utter disbelief that their administration was profoundly
being challenged by the natives. And that these challenges from the Native rulers and
their people collectively have been impinging on their imperialist interest. When the
colonial government discovers to their chagrin that the lives of the Christian Missionaries
were under a serious threat as a result of stout opposition from the adherents of traditional
religion and to secure the production of raw materials for their home industries via
compelling the native farmers to cultivate the desired crops and for easy collection of
taxes imposed on the people using the native leader made the creation of Nigeria police
force inevitable by the cunny colonial masters. To them, the creation of Nigeria police
force at that time was a welcomed phenomenon. It was a plausible decision embarked
upon and fortified through the adoption of a security strategy known as occupational
force.
The occupational force was one of the strategists used by the colonial masters to
discipline and compel the natives into obedience. This system of using occupation force
was good for the colonial government because it helped in the system of indirect rule. It
was devastating to the natives because it encouraged the use of brutality, flagrant abuse
of power and recklessness on the part of our brother recruited as colonial police in
discharging their duties. To secure colonial police force the colonial government
encouraged the recruitment of able bodied men. The men so recruited were giving a
dehumaning training to make them too hardened to take inhuman decisions ranging from
gruesome murder and perpetration of brutality in the most horrible forms to Native
dissidents.
After recruitment and half baked training, the men so enrolled were transferred
form their domiciled/communities to other communities. The raisin' etre was is enable
them enforce the laws with brutality by dealing with dissident natives who were not their
own brothers and sisters. By so doing, the'colonial police were able to suppress mounting
aggressions recorded in so many communities that hitherto seemed an unstoppable
snowball. By so doing, the colonial masters inadvertently encouraged indiscipline, and
corruption as the colonial police were unduly influenced in the use of course of
discharging their duties occupational force with its concomitant brutality and fortune as
the instruments of policing communities became the order of the day. The question new
is, did the colonial master punish those African they recruited as police men for their
infractions If not why?
At independence in 1960, one expects a positive change. A change where by an
average police man or woman becomes mindful of the existence of the fundamental
principle of human right, and desist fro4 the act of incivility to members of the public
and without embellishment shuns all forms of inhuman practices by operating within the
ambit and dictates of the law he is meant to enforce. The above in both facile and feasible
based on the fact that the colonial administration has gone and that Nigerians have
mounted the rostrum as National leaders and that of the force. Well against the
expectations of most Nigerians, discipline continues unabated. Our, indigenous leaders
who stepped into the shoes of the colonial master churned out orders and instructions
more dangerous then their predecessors made. They became so over whelmedlladdered
with corruption that they indirectly encouraged indiscipline in all it ramifications. By
conniving with officers on road blocks who extort twenty naira from motorists, take bail
money before suspect are released on bail even though is deemed to be free, prevent
justice, aid and abet aimed hoodlums.' In the area of promotion, they encouraged
promotioh based on quota system and calling civilian sons of affluent past leaders to
come for cadet ASPsIinspectors instead of from members of the force with required
educational qualifications. They practiced tribalism and ethnic chauvinisms to the
detriment of the rank and file of the force. They also stopped promotion abruptly to the
extent that some inspectors and other junior cadres have been stagnated in one rank for
fifteen to twenty years thereby turning the profession as a blind alley occupation. The
consequences of all there maladministration and kleptomania seen as a high amongst
police leaders as witnessed during almost all the general election in ~ i ~ e r i a starting from
1979 to the present general election that ushered in president shehu Yar adua's
administration.
It is germane to point out that by the nature of the arraigned duties to the force,
members of the force are bound to be in constant touch with members of the public. For
this singular reason, their activities are always regulated and controlled in line with the
professional ethics obtains able in Britain and other parts of the world. The police
authorities do this through chummy out force order and instructions to meet the
administrative requirement and also to complement force order and directives. That was
why A.Y.Adoye, (DCP) in his unpunished police Academic Digest, averred that, "police
force being an organization bestowed with so much powers must be mannered by officers
and men of impeccable character whose behaviors must be defined clearly in regulations
or departmental policy".
This must be done to ensure that the expected high professional standard of
discipline and conduct are maintained. It is in stnct pursuance of this policy that the
Nigeria police has evolved an internal disciplinary mechanisms for dealing with erring
officers. Unfortunately, there internal disc'iplinary mechanisms are deemed to be Fran gut
with a lot of difficulties that make the maintenance and enforcement of discipline
obviously difficult.
Against this backdrop, the present research work, therefore, tends to exhume for
examination those factors militating against the police internal disciplinary system.
This will be done by providing plausible and valid answers to the questions stated here
under: -
1. Does Nigeria police force operate in a corrupt environment?
2. "Is poor remuneration one of the problems of maintenance and enforcements of
discipline?
3. Is the police internal disciplinary system too simple or cumbersome by being
much layered?
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives which research hopes to achieve are:-
To determine the existence of problem of discipline in Nigeria police force
operates in an environment sublimely corrupt.
To find out if poor remuneration is one of the problems militating against the
maintenance and enforcement of discipline in the police force.
To X- ray the existing internal disciplinary mechanisms in the force determine
their adequacy simple or cumbersome by being much layered.
To recommend what should be done in order to improve on the maintenance and
enforcement of discipline in the Nigeria police force. When all these are done, it
is hoped that both discipline at police efficiency in job performance will be
greatly improved.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The police as presumed all over the world, is an indispensable organization. A
paramilitary establishment what is unique. Its uniqueness in based on the fact that the
police have been recognized globally as the sole institution with the Holistic
responsibility of managing and controlling the internal security of any country as well as,
each evolving day, planning and exerting strategiks aimed at protection of lives and
propot of the citizens.
In Nigeria, therefore, for the Nigeria to practically these unique hall marks for
which the police force is known globally, it must be disciplined. At least in discharging
its onerous duties as enshrined or contained in sections 23-30 of the police Act cap 359
law of the federation of Nigeria 1990.
The Nigeria police, unlike some of her counterparts all over the world has decried
or faltered to discharge her duties satisfactory. One of the reasons deduced for abysmal
performance was corruption others are absolute disregarded to the rule of law, flagrant
abuse of power and privileges and other forms of indiscipline. This is why there has been
hue an8 cry about police indiscipline behaviour .resulting from poor supervision in
maintenance and enforcement of discipline by the police authorities.
The study draw its significance from two levels, namely theoretical and practical.
At the practical level, this study is a timely contribution to on-going reforms undertaken
by president Shehu Yar'adua's administration to have an improved police force devoid of
corruption and dedicated to their duties. This, the president has achially done through the
provision of enhanced welfare package and logistics for operational efficiency.
Theoretically, this study is a timely contribution to the eleven (11) member
committee constituted by the federal government on how to revamp the Nigeria police
force and make the force perform with optimal efficiency. The work also will go a long
way to complement the works of other scholars, and patriotic Nigerians who have
criticized the internal disciplinary produce of the force and sought for a reasonable
panacea.
In addition, past of significance of the study in drawn from the fact that the study
exposes the inherent weakness of the police force and looks forward on how the
maintenance and enforcement of discipline in the force could be carried out in order to
have and maintain a reliable and well behaved police force.
The research itself is not conclusive and exhausted, interest and consequently
leads to more research work on the subject and finally, it will serve as sources of
reference to future researchers.
1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
This research is designed in such a way to cover a vast number of pertinent issues
affecting the people who are inhabitants in the study area. These are people with practical
experience of the activities with university of Nigeria, Nsukka community.
These will equally cover aspects of decentralization of power among local
authorities. Limitations to the study are those factors that affect data
collection and reliability of information achieved. These factors include lack
of data availability by the institution for rural community transformation.
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH METHOD
2.1.1 THE BIRTH OF THE NPF.
For the purposes of clarification and easy comprehension, the writer
deemed it proper and order starting this study with a condensed account of the
birth of the Nigeria police force.
History is replete with the account that before the birth of Nigeria as one
nation, we had two forces. The first was the one formed in Lagos by Consul John
Bee croft. This happened when there was urgent need for the British political and
economic interest which had grown tremendously to be protected. Therefore, to
protect the imperialist trade interest and the suppression of mountain aggression of
the natives were amongst the reasons that made consul John Beecroft sought for
permission to enlist some guards for the security of his administration.
Consequently in 186 1, the acclaimed progenitor of today's Nigeria police force, a
Lagos consular guard of thirty men was established.
In 1863 it was enlarged and renamed Hausa police. It was paramilitary
establishment exerting and symbolizing imperial authority in Lagos. It was further
enlarged in 1879 and had an Inspector General of police as the commander. At this
time, the force performed mainly military duties.
In the same vein, the consul who was in charge of the oil River protectorate
(with headquarters in Calabar) - Acting consul' Annesley - had established an oil
River protectorate police force in 1890 which duty was essentially military.
Members of the force were known to have perpetrated untold hardship on the
native8 in pursuance of imperial interest. With time, this force had metamorphosed
into the Niger coast protectorate constabulary and later into the southern police
force.
The scramble for and petition of Africa having been successfully completed
and the British imperialists having securely brought the Niger areas under their
control, the Southern and Northern protectorates were amalgamated in 1914 and
became one political entity called Nigeria. In effect, the aforementioned police
forces were later merged by ordinance No 2 of 1930 and thus the Nigeria police
force was created with Headquarters in Lagos.
The provision of this ordinance has persistently been re-enacted in all the
successive constitutions of Nigeria till date as evident in sec. 214 of the Nigerian
constitution, 1999 and S. 3 of the police Act.
2.1.2 THE POLICE, FUNCTION AND STATUTORY POWERS.
Sections 23 - 30 of the police Act confer specifically eight powers on the
police to enable it perform its roles. They are powers to conduct prosecution,
arrest without warrant; arrest without having warrant in ones possession, serve
summons at any time during the hours of the day; grant bail to person arrested
without warrant; search; detain and search suspected persons, to take finger print
impression of all persons who may from time to time be in lawful custody.
The functions of the force according into Musa B. Abdulkadi, Dig, are
contained in section 4 of the police Act Cap 359 law of the federation of Nigeria,
1990. They are: prevention and detection of crime, Apprehension of offenders,
preservation of law and order, protection of life and property, due enforcement of
all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged and performance of
military duties within or without Nigeria as may be required of them by or under
the authority of the Act or any other Act.
By the nature of the above assigned duties, members of the force are bound
to have contact with the society on day to day basis. For this reason, their activities
are strictly regulated by laws and regulations. Also through force orderlforce
Administrative instructions. This is one for the purposes of regulating the conduct
and acceptable behaviour of police officers and men and to avert the use of
excessive and flagrant abuse of power in the enforcement of law.
It was in consonance with the above assertion that A. Y. Adoye (DCP) in
his unpublished Academic digest averred that "the police force being an
organization bestowed with so much powers must be manned by officers and men
of impeccable character whose behaviours must be defined clearly in regulations
or Departmental policy". This is done to ensure that the expected high professional
standard of discipline and conduct are paintained.
2.1.3 DISCIPLINE AS A CONCEPT AND IT FORMS:
Discipline as a concept connotes good behaviour. It could be said to be a
reflection of the good behavior exhibited by an individual and approved by a given
society. Onuahuchu, A.N. (1996) in his unpublished course essay rightly observed
that "an individual's behavior is a mirror of his group's outwaid posture and the
degree of discipline shown by such a person is usually a reflection of his
upbringing from childhood occasioned by the checks and controls exercised by his
parents on him during formative years".
In the above context, the outward posture and degree of discipline shown
by an officer of the Nigeria police force is, therefore, usually a reflection of his
upbringing from recruit stage occasioned by the checks and controls exercised by
superiors on him during the induction training and duty performance. Suffice it to
ay that, a police officer's pattern of behavior relating to discipline is to a great
extent influenced by the nature, culture and norms of the police organization
created at any given time consequent upon the environment.
Discipline is the pillar on which the Nigeria police force was founded. It
was this sense of discipline inculcated into policemen from its inception that
contributed immensely to good reputation of the force both in the performance of
duty and their personal appearance.
It is germane, at this juncture, to point out that the Nigeria police force
perforhs better and as such answers a disciplined force outside the shores of this
country and performs below average within. For instance, during the Kingshasha
crisis in the 1960's the Nigeria police was adjudged as the best. This was as a
result of a high degree of discipline exhibited by the men ,who went on the
operation. Furthermore, during other peace-keeping mission's abroad, the Nigeria
police are always rated very high.
But regrettably here at home, the contrary is the case. The perception of the
force is low. Policemen have vehemently failed to perfume as expected and
consequently, they have been mocked and ridiculed as corrupt and inefficient.
While writing on the subject, "discipline" Spriegal W.R. et a1 (1959, 492)
asserted that discipline is a force ','that prompt individual or group to observe rules,
regulations and procedural that are deemed necessary to the attainment of an
objective". They averred that it is a force or fear of a force that restrains
individuals or groups fi-om doing things that are destructive to the group's
objectives. To make the above definition relevant to the topic under investigation,
it is pertinent to note that discipline is primarily concerned with contact between
superiors and subordinate officers more especially in .regimental structure like the
military and hierarchically structured organization such as the Nigeria police force
which is the nerve centre of this work. Therefore, the problem encountered in the
maintenance and enforcement of discipline therein does not mean that all the
disciplinary procedure for dealing with erring officers have been dislodged and
rendered ineffective.
Therefore, the problems associated with maintenance and enforcement of
discipline are amalgam of many actors and as such a complex phenomenon.
FORMS OF DISCIPLINE
There are two major types of discipline. These include:
1. Self discipline or self imposed
2. Enforced or imposed discipline
SELF DISCIPLINE
' The best discipline is self-discipline. Self-discipline in all ramifications is
viewed by rational minds as the best form of discipline. It stems from the
individual's inner mind that drives him to do the right thing at the appropriate time
outside his self-consideration. It is propelled by self control devoid of any given
opportunity to be coaxed. It is not controlled by external force but inner self
which involves rational choice of actions and it always make the individual to be
12
at alert in doing the right thing to meet the societal or organizational expectations.
ENFORCED OR IMPOSED DISCIPLINE
This kind of discipline that demands individual compliance without a
choice of his own than to obey. By implication, the Nigeria police force being a
regimented organization, subjects its officers to this kind of 'discipline and, of
course, the officer upon whom the discipline command is meted on, have no
choice than to obey since the command and obedience constitute the discipline
which is the bed rock of the force.
2.1.4 KIND OF INDISCIPLINE IN THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE
From the wealth of experience, st is a truism that where there is no peace, in
such a place, there must be anarchy. In the same way, absence of discipline means
the existence of indiscipline. In the Nigeria police force indiscipline is rife and has
greatly made the public to lose confidence in the force. Ozobia, M. (1986) to
Adedu .S. (1994) and Maghini, H. 91989), they classified indiscipline into four
1. Criminal indiscipline
2. Environmental in-discipline
3. Social in-discipline and
4.. Administrative in-discipline
Limiting our analysis or consideration within the context of the Nigeria
police force, in-discipline can be classified into two classes i.e
1. Juniorlintermediate
2. Excessiveladministrative
1. JUNIORIINTERMEDIATE CLASS
This class is made up of the rank and file and inspectors. who are regarded
as operational officers of the force and the closets group to the members of the
public. By their very unique and pivotal position, they serve as the mirror through
which the public x-ray the entire force. Yet, without prejudice, they constitute the
bulk of indiscipline.
The in disciplinary behavior evi,dent in this class are:
1. Absence from duty unjustifiably
2 . Leaving duty post unjustifiable
3. Disobedience to lawful arders
4. Insubordination
5 . Greedlpropensity to get rich quick
6. Collusion with criminals/compounding crime
7. Brutalitylincivility to member of the public
8. Poor publications
EXECUTIVEIADMINISTRATIVE CLASS
With out fear or favour, it would be better to look at the other side of the
coin as it is always said that: "what is good for the goose is good for the ganders".
That is to say indiscipline in the force today is not absolutely the blame of the
ju~iorlintermediate class of officers. *
Thus, the police authorityfrom time to time continued to discipline senor
officers who are found guilty of disciplinary offences.
2.1.5 HISTORICAL OVER VIEW OF INDISCIPLINE IN THE NIGERIA
POLICE FORCE.
To appreciate the notion of discipline within the Nigeria force, it is
necessary to locate it within a broader framework of police culture, which was
developed during the colonial and military eras in Nigeria's political history.
Police culture can be defined as a.complex collection of values, attitudes, symbols,
rules and practices, which emerge as the police react to the exigencies and
situations they confront in their work (Reiner, 2000). Although police culture (like
any other culture) is not monolithic or stagnant, it has certain core features, which
are more or less present in all police forces. These include sense of danger,
authority, mission, solidarity, suspicion, stereotyping, conservation, sexism,
pragmatism and if you like racial or ethnic prejudice (Reiner, 2000). However,
three characteristics of police culture relevant to our analysis here are
conservatism, authority and solidarity. According to Reiner (2000:88) "Police
culture both reflects and perpetuates the power differences *within the social
structure it polices". This means that the police not only conserves the status quo
in any society but also reproduces it - within it structure and work. Consequently,
any person or group of persons that challenge(s) or are marginal to the prevailing
social order which the police enforces, invariably challenges police authority and
are often at the receiving end of police abuse, with little or no internal sanction or
disciplinary proceedings against the police culprits (Skolnick 1966; Muri 1977;
Powis 1977; Reiner 2000). To ensure that disciplinary proceedings are not always
unleashed on any member of the force who steps out of line, a pervading sense of
solidarity and protection of one another exist among the officers, especially the
junior ranks. Explaining this, Reiner (2000:92) argues, ''internal solidarity is a
product not only of isolation, but also of the need to be able to rely on colleagues
in a tight spot, and a protective amour shielding the force as a whole from public
knowledge of infraction".
With the foregoing police culture theory as our analytical framework, it
become clearer why under colonial rule, with its philosophy and doctrine of racial
supremacy and exploitation of the economic resources of the natives, the dominant
feature of police work was the maintenance of colonial law and order over those
considered to be of inferior race, with out any regard for their human right.
Writing about the colonial police in Nigeria, Ody (1986) noted:
The police was conceived, not as a service
organization for the natives but as an instrument of
correction or oppression of the natives ... because of the use a to which the colonial mastesr put the police that is
harassing and arresting tax defaulters, brutalizing trade
unionist and other nationalists, and torturing persons
accused of criminal offences. (Quoted in Ase Mota 1993:
395).
Between 186 1 and 1904, the British colonialist ruled this country with the
police compelling the natives into obedience. Police was used to protect the
economic and political interest as maintained by (Alemika and Chukuma, 2000).
These forces according to them were organized as quasi-military squads and
comprised of people who were strangers in communities they were deployed. The
aim was to ensure that such officials, when deployed to execute punitive
expedition would act as an army of occupation and deploy maximum violence on
the community not theirs. The colonial legacy of police brutality and vigilantism
against the natives with no disciplinary mechanism against police officials
involved was further captured by Alemika (1988: 165):
.... Historical evidence demonstrates that the colonial police
forces were organized and oriented to behave as occupation
forces - ruthless, brutal, corrupt, dishonest and prone to
brutalizing the colonized peoples and vandalizing their
properties .... The preoccupation of colonial and post - colonial
Nigeria police were not the promotion and enforcement of just
laws, rule of law, natural justice and equity and security of the
vast majority of Nigerians, as colonial surrogates often cleared
.... The greatest part of the police energies and resources were
committed to, and dissipated on, the suppression of struggles and
protects against oppression and exploitation, the large scale theft
and mismanagement of the public wealth by those who controlled
the economy and state apparatus.
As an insider, speaking from wide experience, that was then. The present
crop of officers that constitute the Nigeria police are out to perform their duties
with sound professionalism but the truth of the matter is that Nigerians themselves
are sublimely corrupt, the environment under which the police work is soiled with
all forms of vices and secondly, the police work in servitude with no
commensurate remuneration.
Between 1861 and 1904, the British colonialist ruled this country with the
police compelling the natives into obedience. Police was used to protect the
economic and political interest as maintained by (Alemika and Chukuma, 2000).
These forces according to them were organized as quasi-military squads and
comprised of people who were strangers in communities they were deployed. The
aim was to ensure that such officials, when deployed to execute punitive
expedition would act as an army of occupation and deploy maximum violence on
the community not theirs. The colonial legacy of police brutality and vigilantism
against the natives with no disciplinary mechanism against police officials
involved was further captured by Alemika (1988: 165):
.... Historical evidence demonstrates that the colonial police
forces were organized and oriented to behave as occupation
forces - ruthless, brutal, corrupt, dishonest and prone to
brutalizing the colonized peoples and vandalizing their
properties .... The preoccupation of colonial and post - colonial
Nigeria police were not the promotion and enforcement of just
laws, rule of law, natural justice and equity and security of the
vast majority of Nigerians, as colonial surrogates often cleared
... . The greatest part of the police energies and resources were
committed to, and dissipated on, the suppression of struggles and
protects against oppression and exploitation, the large scale theft
and mismanagement of the public wealth by those who controlled
the economy and state apparatus.
As an insider, speaking from wide experience, that was then. The present
crop of officers that constitute the Nigeria police are out to perform their duties
with sound professionalism but the truth of the matter is that Nigerians themselves
are sublimely corrupt, the environment under which the police work is soiled with
all forms of vices and secondly, the police work in servitude with no
commensurate remuneration.
During the colonial era, in all the reported cases of police abuse of power
and brutality against trade unionists, nationalists and students, there was no
documented evidence that any of the police officers involved in such abuse were
disciplined or reprimanded for their infraction by the colonial police authorities.
Consequently, the police culture of impunity in the violation of the right of those
who were involved in challenging colonial authority began to take root. With full
entrenchment of colonial rule in Nigeria, which .was marked by the amalgamation
of the northern and southern protectorate in 19 14, police brutality and other forms
of abuse of power became pervasive against those in opposition to colonialism and
form an integral part of the culture of police bequeathed to the country since
colonial rule (Alemika, 1999).
Under the military rule, with its proverbial contempt for the rule of law and
due process, the situation became worse, consideration of discipline and internal
disciplinary systems in the Nigeria police force were more or less restricted to
police relationship with one another and not extended to police treatment of
member of the public whom they come in contact with. A pointer to this was an
analysis of the content of the police code of' conduct contained in the police
Regulations of 1968. The rather lengthy code was very detailed in providing steps
to be invoked in dealing with police insubordination or misconduct against fellow
officers. There, is however, no mention of the requirements of observing the rights
of all persons they come in contact with. Provision of guidelines on the use of
force, maintenance of confidentiality of certain information in their possession, the
prohibition of the use of torture in their work and the full protection of the health
of persons in their custody as provided in the United Nations code of conduct for
law enforcement officials (Chukwuma, 1995).
Furthermore, police participation in military government made them to
perform legislative, executive and judicial functions, which in 'the final analysis,
not only made ineffective in their work but also eroded internal discipline. Under
military rule, the Inspector - General of police was made a member of successive
armed forces ruling council, which combined the highest executive and legislative
power in the land; police commissioners were also made state administrators and
members of state executive council. Not left out were middle cadre police officer's
who were appointed into various military taskforces and tribunals, were they
exercised judicial functions. Commentary on the implication of this development
to police work, Asemota (1993:398) observed:
The effect of the involvement of t he police in the legislative, executive,
and judicial function of government reduced it policing efficiency. The end result
was rather than provide adequate man-power and all necessary equipment to
enhance police efficiency, 'shortcut' measures were employed, standard lowered,
and convictions were gained with little or no effect. This became the pattern of
military rule and the longer military rule lasted, so were similar laws regularly
enacted and police efficiency deteriorated hrther. Similarly, Alhaji Aliyu Attah, a
formal Inspector General of police (IGP) added:
The Inspector General of police being one of the service chiefs that formed
(military) ruling body is elevated to nimber 7 in the hierarchy, following the head
of state. By this arrangement, the IGP is placed above ministers and the Chief
Justice of he Federal Republic of Nigeria in order of precedence/protocol. The
police became favoured by Decree 2 which made the police the accuser, the
prosecutor and the judge (Attah, 1999:65).
The impact military rule on police discipline, abuse of power and respect of
human rights has been well documented in the publication of human rights group
in Nigeria that they need not be repeated hare, but sufficed it to say that they
disobeytd court orders (Asemota 1993: Chukwuma, 1995); kept people in fail for
long period without trial (Nwakwo, 1993: Ajomo and Okagbue, 1991) fortuned
suspects (Ubani, 1990; Nwankwo, 1993 : chukwuma, 1994) killed extra-judicially
(Ubani,1990; Chukwuma, 1994) became very corrupt (Gambo 1989; Ajomo and
Okagbue 199 1) and enjoyed a pervading impunity in all of these (Nowrojee 1992).
However, the biggest casualty of police participation in military
government in terms of discipline became the police itself. All the officers who
were appointed to political position under military found it difficult to subordinate
themselves to their superiors when thy came back to the service, as they had
become richer and developed more influential contacts within the military and the
political class. Similarly, as the military became more vicious in its treatment of
the Civil populace, a distinct class of police official noted for their bestiality were
needed to work with their military colleagues in prosecuting vigilante operations
against opponents of the regime whether perceived or real. All the officers
specially recruited for these assignments, mostly form the middle ranks became
authorities to themselves and that nobody could touch within the force. The
identities of some of them where, however, revealed by the Oputa Commission.
At the time the military were retreating in 1999, the situation in the force,
just like in the military, had gotten so bad with regard to discipline, accountability,
respect for human rights and observance of the famed police 'civil tradition' that
the formal Inspector General of police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomaie was to comment:
"The force (Nigeria police force) has been torn
between the civil populace and the military, so much
so that its civil traditions are almost lost to military
authoritarianism".
2.1.6 REVIEW OF POLICE INTERNAL DISCIPLINARY SYSTEMS
The Nigeria police force has a multilayered internal disciplinary system that
can theoretically be invoked by members of the public that are aggrieved by acts
of police misconduct. These mechanisms include verbal or written complaint to
any snperior police officer about acts of misconduct involving his or her
subordinate and if the complainant is dissatisfied with the action of the superior
officer could complain to higher officers including the office of the Inspector
General of police. Such complaints could also be sent to the police public
complaint bureau (PCB) located in the police public relations department of every
state police command or to the POLICE PROVOST DEPARTMENT existing at
the force headquarters and state .command levels. These officers are responsible
for investigating acts that negate police ethics and profession with a view to
finding out the genuineness of such complaints or otherwise (Ogbonna, 2001). The
police provost department is also responsible for conducting orderly room trial
against erring police officers (Ogbonna, 2001).
Within the office of the force criminal investigation Department (FCID),
there is also the X-squad made up of plain clothes poliie personnel who
occasionally conduct surveillance on the activities of patrol officers and those on
checkpoints or stop and search duties. Successive Inspectors General of police also
established ad hoc monitoring units that reported directly to them and are usually
called IGP's Monitoring Unit (MU). A review of these internal disciplinary
mechanisms within the Nigeria pdlice force reveals that they are highly
discriminatory against the poor, reactive in nature instead of pro-active, accorded
less attention in the police priority issues and are haphazard in coordination.
2.1.7 DISCRIMINATORY AND REACTIVE NATURE OF INTERNAL
REVIEW SYSTEM
It is usually only when the police are being vilified by the press for
egregious violation of human rights such as extra judicial killing or when the
victim is a prominent person that you mostly hear about their internal disciplinary
system. The above statement was made by one Innocent Chukwuma the Executive
Director of "centre for law enforcement Education, Lagos Nigeria while
commenting on the "Internal Disciplinary systems, as important complement to
external over sight of the force. As an insider, the above assertion is a mere
expre~sion of personal opinion but altogether the true picture of the Nigeria police
force. As part of elucidation, he further stated that, "one of those occasions, the
police would either dismiss such erring officers from service or quickly convoke
orderly room trials ostensibly to douse public anger against the activities of it
officers. In one of such incident involving killing of a senior military official. In
1992, the civil liberties organization (CLO) observed:
Perhaps due to the status of the victim (colonel Ezra
Rindam), the Inspector General of police ordered the
immediate withdrawal of all policemen from checkpoints
nation wide. A high powered investigation panel ... was
quickly set up to investigate the incident. Three policemen
were Jive days arraigned on murder charges (Ifowodo,
1993:2).
Similarly, a study conducted by the constitutional Right Project (CRP) on
Human Rights Practices in the Nigeria police force also concluded that only cases
of police abuse involving prominent individuals or that are shocking outrageous
ever get investigated by the police and as a result:
The public have not been encouraged by the attitude of the police authority
to complaint of human rights abuse against its official and do not, therefore, find
an incentive or have any hope that erring officials will be brought to account for
their misdeeds (Nwankwo et al, 1993:63) while it could be argued that the number
of police officers investigated or disciplined for act of misconduct has greatly
increased since the inauguration of an elected government in 1999, information or
statistics on culprits, their offences and the processes through which they were
disciplined are hardly available in the public domain. The list of the individuals is
only provided reactively and on an ad hoc basis when the police come under
severe criticism for not doing much to bring its erring members to book. On such
occasions, they would usually publish the lists of their men and women that have
been dismissed, demoted or reprimanded. Such lists, which are often hastily put
together, would usually not contain the offence of the officer and a discussion of
the administrative processes through which they were sanctioned in order to
enable an analysis of whether they were fair or not. Furthermore, you can't simply
work into a police station and get statistics on complaint or even commendation
that officers have received in the course of their work within a given period. You
usually have to apply and go several times before they would be made available to
you if at all they do. This gives the impression that such statistics are prepared to
suit the occasion in 'question and not a routine or regular feature of polic6 work
and administration which would have assisted them in tracking officers that are
subject of usually high number of complaints and disciplinary sanctions.
DISCIPLINE AS A LESS PRIORITY
Successive chiefs of police at federal and state levels in Nigeria have failed
to recognize discipline and disciplinary mechanism as tools that could be used in a
fair and consistent manner to remove those police officials who are undermining
police effective and improved public relation in the country. This could be gleaned
from the priority area of concern, resource allocation to disciplinary mechanisms
and more importantly absence of periodic review of the disciplinary system.
Police authorities in Nigeria hardly publish priority areas of concern of
their administration. And when they do, such articulation rarely goes beyond
identification of armed robbery and establishment of ad hoc task forces to tackle it,
which hardly provide more than momentary succour. An exception to this rule was
the eight-point agenda drawn up by Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa
Balogun, on assumption of office in March 2002, in which he outlined the
following strategy for transforming thq force.
Massive onslaught against armed/gruesome
murder/assassination and other crimes of violence. Fast and
decisive crises/conflict management, comprehensive training,
programme, serious anti-corruption crusade, Robust Public
Relations Community partnerihip, inter-seriiice/agency
collaboration at all levels, Improved conditions of service and
enhanced welfare package for all oflcers.
Sunday Ehindero his successor did the same. It is noteworthy to point out
that there was no serious emphasis laid on discipline or disciplinary mechanism as
important in realizing their agenda. There is also absence of neither a plan for their
implementation nor measurable benchmarks for evaluating them. Finally the eight
point agenda of Tafa and the one of Ehindero which underscored the need to serve
with integrity ended up becoming a mere shopping list rather than a well
articulated strategy for the transformation of the police.
A further proof that discipline has low placement in the Nigeria police
force, can be seen from the fact that none of the disciplinary mechanisms in the
Nigeria police has an annual budget for its operation. The personnel are equally
not provided with the logistics to investigate citizen complaint4against the police
(Chukwuma 2006). The Police Complaint Bureaus (P.C.B) have no writing
materials for recording complaint, working telephone lines, fax machines and
computer sets for keeping tracks of the complaints. They depend on rare handouts
from the police authorities to carry out their function which enables them to
achieve anything but contempt from the citizens. As a result, citizens lack
confidence in them and rarely bother to send their complaints to them.
A fall out of the resource constraint facing them and the low status they
enjoy in police hierarchy of issues of importance is that the internal disciplinary
mechanisms are hardly evaluated to find out how they are performing by the
police authorities and what are required to make them perform optimally.
LACK OF COORDINATION.
Lack of coordination is one of problems the internal disciplinary system is
facing. This is caused by the fact that there are too many of such mechanisms.
Also the casual manner with which most complaints against the police are . received and treated; and the fact that there is an absence of standardized method
in the recording and processing of data generated by the mechanism.
*TO present a complaint against police misconduct according to police
authorities, an aggrieved person can take one of the following measures
I . Verbal complaints to superior oficers;
2. Writing of petition to a divisional police officer
3. Writing ofpetition to an Area Commander
4. writing ofpetition to a commissioner of Police
5. Writing ofpetition to an Assistant Inspector General of Police
6. Writing ofpetition to the Inspector General of Police
7. Sending a written complaints to the police public complaints Bureau
8. Writing to the force secretary. srlrtKslm ma'
Other internal disciplinary mechanisms include the IG's Monitoring Unit
(MU) and the X-squad, which are under-cover disciplinary initiatives. We also
have the force criminal intelligence Bureau, throughout the state commands: It has
it's Headquarter at force Headquarters, Abuja. Their major duty is intelligence
gathering and disseminating same to the authorities leading to crime prevention.
The large number of these mechanisms creates confusion among the citizens as to
which of them to send their petitions to which is further compounded by the fact
that there is no regulation guiding the invocation of the mechanisms. Such a
regulation would have provided information as to which of the mechanisms could
be complained for particular offences, in particular areas and at which stage.
This has led to a situation where a citizen could wake up and write petition
to the inspector general of police in faraway Abuja, the FCT, for allegations of
police misconduct that could have been handled by the Divisional Police officer in
his local community. And when he or she doesn't get either a reply or redress on
time, the conclusion would be as we found in the literature that the police do not
take complaints against it personnel seriously.
Finally, another coordination problem observable in the police disciplinary
mechanisms, which makes their work haphazard, is that there are hardly records of
the complaints handled by some of the mechanisms, especially the complaints that
are lodged verbally to superior police officials. And when they are written, the
data collation process in all the mechanisms are not standardized in such away that
they could interact with one another. The implication is that police officials who
are subject of many complaints are hardly tracked by the disciplinary mechanisms.
Consequently, painstakingly processed disciplin~ry records of police personnel are
hardly available or used in the punishment and reward mechanisms in the force.
What then fills the gap is often media hysteria in the case of punishment and
extraneous considerations including the whims and caprices of superior police
officials in the case of rewards in the force.
2.1.8 BRIEF FUNCTION OF THE POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION
AND DISCIPLINARY PROCESSES IN THE FORCE.
The police service commission (PSC), like the Nigeria police force is a
creation of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Section 153
of the constitution established the commission and the functions are as stated
under section 30 of part 1 to the Third Schedule. The functions are:
Power to appoint persons to officers (other than the
office of the Inspector General of Police): and Dismiss and
exercise disciplinary control over persons holding any office
referred to in sub-paragraph (a) above.
From the function above, it is clear that the police service commission has
disciplinary control of the force and may exercise it accordingly. However, the
implementation of this needs clarification especially on matters of original
jurisdiction and those that may come t6 the commission in form of appeal. In order
to explore the possibilities of training for members of the police service
commission to able to carry out investigations into disciplinary offences, a brief
description of the disciplinary processes in the force will be necessary. This will
give an insight into areas considered important and appropriate to extend such
trainings.
DISCrPLINE AND ITS MAINTENANCE
It is pertinent to start disciplinary procedure in the force with a superior
police officer. Where a Superior Police Officer commits an act in breach of the
code of conduct he is queried by his commander. The above comment was made
by the out gone or immediate past Inspector General of police, Sunday Chindero.
He made this comment as Deputy Inspector General of Police when making
comment on "Investigation and Discipline of police personnel by the Nigeria
poiice force. If the offence he committed is of a serious nature, a copy of the query
is forwarded to the force secretary. In line with the principles of fair hearing, his
representation is called for by the command, usually within seventy two hours.
The query; his presentation and comments by the commissioner of police (C.P) are
sent to the force secretary. In this regard, the Zonal Assistant Inbpector General of
Police (AIG) plays an intermediary role.
On receipt of the query and representation, the force secretary prepares a
memorandum to the force Disciplinary committee setting out the facts of the case.
The committee is made up of all the Deputy Inspectors-General of police ( DIGS)
with the Deputy Inspector General of %Police, in charge of 'A' Department (DIG
'A' ), as the chairman. A date is fixed for hearing and the defaulted notified to
attend. At the end of the sitting, the committee recommends to the Inspector
General of police (IGP) whether to dismiss, retire, reduce, reprimand or exonerate
the defaulter.
Where a defaulter is indicted, a memorandum is prepared by the force
secretary on the instruction of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to the police
service commission for appropriate award of punishments. However, under the
instrument of delegation by the police service commission, the Inspector-General
of police (IGP) is empowered to deal with disciplinary matters affecting police
officer up to the rank of superintendeht of police (SP). Where an Inspector, non-
commissioned officer or constable is guilty of a disciplinary offence, he is tried in
what is called an ORDERLY Room. Such offences according to Ehindero range
Absence from duty or being late for duty without leave or reasonable
excuse.
Breach of confidence in divulging any matter, which is his duty to
keep secret
Corrupt practices
Discreditable conduct by acting in a disorderly manner or acting in
any manner prejudicial to discipline or unbecoming of a member of
the force
Disobedience to lawful order
Drunkenness or drinking on duty
Falsehood or prevarication
Insubordination
Neglect of duty
Improper conduct
Uncleanness
Unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority.
The punishments that can be awarded range from dismissal, reduction in
rank, withholding or deferment of increment, severe reprimand, fine, reprimand,
confinement to barracks for up to 14 day, and fatigue. The range of officers
delegated to award punishments and the appropriate authority are contained in 2nd
Schedule, Police Act, Cap 359 Laws of the federation of Nigeria.
The disciplinary procedure in the Police Act and Regulation does not
diminish or affect the liability of any member o f t he force t o prosecution before
any court of justice for any crime. In fact, such bfficers are tried and dealt with
departmentally before being arraigned in court.
From the above it could be seen that the range of police misconduct is too
wide for the police service commission to have capacity to investigate. All that
is needed is improvement of police conduct by training, the prohibition of extra-
judicial killing, the need to keep complainants informed of the progress of
investigation and disciplinary action taken against defaulters. Investigation by the
police service commission is unlikely to solve these problems.
Still on original jurisdiction, Musa B. Abdulkader, DIG, commenting on
"Improved Training on Disciplinary Investigation" maintained that "the day to day
handling of disciplinary matters in all the formations and commands lies with the
officer in charge of the command". This is because the commission may be at
these places on daily basis to exercise direct disciplinary control. The control is
done through the police structure on ground as provided for under the police
Regulations. Thus, the immediate superior in rank under whom this officer serves
has original jurisdiction on disciplinary matters. In line with the procedures laid
down under the Regulations. It is instructive to note that hundreds of disciplinary
offences are committed on daily basis from one division to another across the
country and it is only by going thruugh the statutory provisions of the police
Regulations that these disciplinary matters are dispensed with. For example, the
average policeman knows and is used to the provisions of the police Regulation
that only a police officer assigned by the appropriate police authority may try him
in an orderly Room and award the appropriate punishment.
APPELLATE JURISDICTION: The disciplinary action taken by the police
against its erring officers is subject to review by the police service omission upon
appeal by such erring officer to the commission. Since the procedures for
disciplinary actions against serving members are provided for statutorily, no one is
left in doubt to his or her rights in respect of departmental actions. When due
process is followed and punishment i i awarded, affected officers may accept the
verdict or reject it. It is only when it is rejected that appeal will of necessity go to
the police service commission for review.
COMPLAINTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:
Complaints against police actions and decisions may as of right be made to
the police service commission. Such complaints may be either criminal or
disciplihary in nature. When they are criminal, the commission should be able to
direct such matters to the Inspector-General of police for investigation since it has
no jurisdiction in criminal matters. In view of the position earlier explained in (i)
above, when complaints on disciplinary matters are received, it may also be
advisable to refer such to the Inspector-General of police through whom the
statutory process of disciplinary actions must be commenced.
INVESTIGATION OF DISCIPLIN4RY MATTERS
Maintaining discipline among the personnel of the force through the
Enforcement of laws, orders and regulations is a major responsibility of the
hierarchy of the Nigeria police force working in liaison with the PSC. This is done
through the prompt investigation of all complaints made against serving members.
No matter the nature of offence, the method of i&estigation is ienerally the same
albeit with little modifications in terms of depth and scope. However, it must be
borne in mind that the investigator's responsibility is to provide evidence that will
prove or disprove the matter in contention and thus, must avoid being biased in the
process. In addition, the conduct of disciplinary action against a serving member
of the force may be subjected to court litigation where the affected officer feels not
satisfied with the decision either during the orderly Room Trial or by the PSC.
"With this in mind, all actions taken against any erring member must be in
conformity with principles and procedures of law". (Musa. B. Abdulkader, DIG).
PRACTICAL PROCEDURE FOR MAINTAINING DISCIPLINE
(JUNIOR RANKS)
According to A.Y. Adoye (DCP), "to whom much is given much is
expected from him. Therefore, the police force being an organization bestowed
with so much powers must be manned by officers and men of impeccable
character whose behaviours must be defined clearly in Regulations or
Departmental Policy in order to ensure the expected high professional standards of
discipline and conduct. The officers and men of the force are not only expected to
exhibit self discipline but to be above the board at all time (Privately and
Officially) in order to effectively and efficiently achieve this objective, the police
force from time to time formulate written directive through the medium of force
orderlforce Administrative Instructions to regulate the conduct and acceptable
behaviour of police officers and men. These directives also serve as official notice
as to the .position of the police on. specific issues. One of such important directives
is force order and Administrative instructions (F.A.1) No 12, which clarifies
pointlprocedures in respect of the revised new police Regulation (CDP 350) which
dealt extensively with the administration of Discipline in the force.
THE F. A. I. 12 IS SUBJOINED HEREUNDER:
The new police Regulations part XVI which came into force on lSt April,
1968 introduced extensive and important changes in the administration of
discipline throughout the force. The Regulations are in the most part self-
explanatory and this instruction is, therefore, designed to clarify certain points of
procedure and to lay down firm instruction covering the maintenance of records
which must be strictly adhered to throughout the force.
GENERAL
2. Specific breaches of discipline are shown as a schedule embodied in the
Regulation.
3. It is an established principle 6f police disciplinary procedure that every
police officer against whom a complaint in connection with a disciplinary offence
is made is notified of the nature of he complaint or the charge arising therefore
without unnecessary delays and it will be the responsibility of the Irppektor or
NCO in charge of the station at which the defaulter is serving to ensure that he is
so informed. This enable s him to call his witnesses and prepare his defence.
4. A member of the force charged with a breach of discipline is a defaulter
and will be referred to as such; not as the "accused", unless he is taken before a
magistrate.
5. The fact that a disciplinary offence is committed in the presence of the "
Adjuchcating officer, or is detected by him in person, does not debar that officer
from conducting the orderly Room inquiry, but in cases where he as the sole
witness to an offence, the facts of which are disputed by the defaulters the
adjudicating officer official will either stay the inquiry and remit it for hearing by
another officer empowered to inquire into disciplinary offences, or he may record
the proceedings and submit the details to a more senior officer for the award of
punishment.
6. When a breach of discipline is committed, the charge should ordinarily be
investigated and disposed of without confining the offender to the cells or guard
room. Only in the more serious and flagrant instances, for example drunkenness,
insubordination with violence, etc. should the offender be placed under arrest on
the discovery of an offence. Confinement in the guardroom or cells in such cases
be regarded as a means of preventing the offender from committing any more
serious offences and will only be resorted to when it is really necessary. The case
of an offender confined in the guard room or cells will be inquired into within 24
hours of the offender's .confinement and should in any case be released from
confinement immediately he becomes amenable to discipline.
7. Under Regulation 363 any S.P.0 authorized by the IGP, by name, rank or
office may exercise the jurisdiction and powers vested in such more senior officer
as may be specified in the auticrization. Like wise an inspector authorized in
writing by a provincial superintendent (i.e the SPO in charge of a province or
similar formation) may exercise certain disciplinary powers, but at present this
authorization will not be given with odt the prior approval of an Area command or
commissioner.
8. Although an orderly room inquiry may come within the definition of
judicial proceedings or under section 113 of the criminal code, these new
Regulations do not bind an Adjudicating officer to rules or procedure applicable to
a court of law, and although Adjudicating officers are required to conduct inquires
in a manner that is impartial, equitable and strictly fair forwards a defaulter, they
must rfot allow Orderly Room proceeding to develop into a court of law, nor to be
regarded as such by the defaulter. In an orderly room inquiry there is no
prosecutor and there is no defense counsel. Witnesses may not be led. No lawyer
will be present at or take part in any orderly room proceeding unless asked by the
Adjudicating officer to give evidence as an individual witness.
9. In cases where the offences are denied by the defaulter, witnesses to the
breach of discipline will be called bnd examined by the Adjudicating officer,
Defaulters, must not be permitted in orderly room to ask insulting questions, or to
make allegations or suggestions regarding their superior in rank which are in many
way prejudicial to good order and discipline Defaulters are at all times under
discipline whilst in orderly room.
10. If, at any time during Orderly Room proceedings, it becomes apparent to
the Adjudicating officer that the defaulter has contravened the law, the inquiry will
be adjourned and the relevant facts submitted forth with to the commanding
officer of the formation concerned for instructions.
11. Save where otherwise ordered officers authorized to award punishment will
exercise such powers only in respect of police posted to formations over which
they exercise general control.
12. Regulation 379 stated that if it is deemed necessary in the public interest to
interdict a junior officer (inspector or RIF) the competent authority vide police
Regulation 358 is empowered so to do. Para 52 of this instruction contains the
administrative machinery in such cases.
13. The powers conferred upon S.P.Os of a specified rank and Inspectors in the
second schedule may be lawfully exercised by officers of any higher rank (Reg.,
3 63)
14. RECORDS
The following records will be maintained at station throughout the force.
(a) The defaulters Register
(b) Defaulter charge sheet
* (c) Defaulter cases return
15. DEFAULTER REGISTER
The reported disciplinary offences are centered in this register, including
cases to be heard by authorized inspectors. See appendix I11 for specimen. All
enttries will be critically numbered throughout the year. It starts with No 1 on the
~"January. If the punishment to be awarded is likely to be les than reprimand, the
brief facts in support of the charge and the defaulter's explanation will be
conferred in the "Remarks" column. If it is higher than reprimand, all the evidence
tendered before the adjudicating officer will be recorded on loose paper later. The
defaulter's register will be examined. by inspecting officer from which will be
gleaned the state of discipline in the formation concerned.
16. Defaulter's charge sheet. The headings of this sheet are identical with those
of the Defaulter's Register. It is also where proceedings are transferred after
Orderly Room trial with punishment entries centered.
17. With the exception of cases in which the defaulters have been acquitted, she
details are submitted and published in Area command orders under than two
heading (1) service Records entry punishment and (2) Non-entry punishment.
18. If the defaulter is eventually convicted and punishments are accordingly
awarded, the defaulter in given a period of appeal.
19. In the event of an appeal the 'defaulter's charge sheet and the record of
evidence will be extracted from the file cover and action taken in accordance with
the instructions under Appeals. On their return, they will be filed in the defaulter's
personal file. Particulars of the result of the appeal will be entered 'in the
20. Entries in the defaulter's service register will be brief but lucid and will
follow the form as published in the Area command order. The long as the
appropriate paragraph of the first schedule and the punishment are quoted, all also
needed in a few word making clear the exact nature of the offence, for example -:
Insubordination . . . . . . .schedule 1 pars (L) (1)
Fine 154 W.A.C.O. 2611969
Sleeping in police station . . . . schedule 1 para.
(N) (iv) increment deferred for 4months E.C.A.C.0 3511969.
Every entry must be initialed by and S.P.O. Inexperienced clerks should not be
permitted to make such entries, which should normally be made by a chief
clerk.
33
21. Details of all orderly Room cases submitted to higher authority for any
reason will be kept in view for return in a suitablk diary.
22. The defaulter will be marched into the presence of the Adjudicating
officer by a member of the force senior to himself. The defaulter will be properly
dressed in uniform with headdress, but will remove his belt before being marched,
unescorted before the Adjudicating officer. (In serious cases where the
Adjudicating officer considers it advisable, the defaulter will be marched in under
escort)
23. Charges will be framed as simply as possible stating first the offence and
relevant Regulation and then brief particulars of the facts constituting the offence,
for example:
1. Insubordination in words to a superior in rank contrary to paragraph (L) (I ) of
the first schedule of the police Regulations, in that you at.. ...... .(time) on
(date) (name) (number) at .............(p lace) your superior in rank .........
(Exact words).
2. Leaving allocated beat without sufficient and proper reason contrary. To
paragraph (N) (iv) of the first sch'edule of the police Regulations, in that you
on ....... (date) ............ having been posted to beat ......... (form) hours to
.............. hours did leave the said beat without sufficient and proper reason.
3. Drunkenness, contrary to paragraph (G) of the first schedule of the police
Regulations in that you on (date ............ at.. ........ (place) ,we are seen drunk
through drinking intoxicating liquor
24. Where there are two or more distinct offences a separate charge will be
frametl in respect of each offence and a separate finding will be made on each
charge. Where more than one offence is committed in he course of the same
transaction, separate charges will be framed in respect of each offence but only
punishment will be imposed to cover all the offences. Two or more members of
the force may be charged and tried together for the same or different offences, if
committed in the course of the transaction.
3 4
25. Before reading the charge to the defaulter, the Adjudicating officer must
first obtain from the member of the force making the report a brief statement of
the facts of the case. He should then satisfy himself that the charge brought is
correct on the basis of those facts (A.Y. Adoye DCP). He should then satisfy
himself that the charge brought is correct on the basis of'those facts. Any
amendment necessary to the charge should be made before the inquiry is started.
If, however, it is necessary to amend or alter the charge during the proceedings but
before the findings, the defaulter will be informed of alteration and asked to plead
to the amended charge, and will be given full opportunity to cross-examine or give
or call further evidence to meet such charge. Regulation 369 (16).
26. When the Adjudicating officer has satisfied himself that the charge is
properly worded, is the correct charge for the breach of discipline alleged, and that
quoted, he should address the defaulter the by rank, name and number, read out
the charge and explain the nature of the offence carefully to the defaulter, ensuring
that he understands it. Then he should ask the defaulter whether he admits or
denies the offence and has a defense to offer. The necessary entries will be made
in the defaulter Register. Refusal by a defaulter to answer the charge should be
treated as a denial of the offence and the enquiry should proceed accordingly.
27. In all cases where there is a likelihood of the defaulter being punished with
dismissal, all he evidence must be taken on. If the defaulter wishes to make a
statement or to give evidence on oath on his own he must be permitted to do so.
28. If the Adjudicating officer considers the offence to be such that it merits
punishment greater than his powers to impose, he will after recording a conviction
refer Yhe case, together with the record .and a brief analysis and his
recommendations as to award of punishment with in his powers as he considers fit
or the case may be further referred for the same reason, to a more senior officer (s)
in succession, for the award of punishment (Regulation 369 (30 and 3 1)
29. PUNISHMENTS: It is not practicable to lay down any definite scale of
punishment that should be inflicted for specific offence, as the severity or other
34
25. Before reading the charge to the defaulter, the Adjudicating officer must
first obtain from the member of the force making the report a brief statement of
the facts of the case. He should then satisfy himself that the charge brought is
correct on the basis of those facts (A.Y. Adoye DCP). He should then satisfy
himself that the charge brought is correct on the basis of'those facts. Any
amendment necessary to the charge should be made before the inquiry is started.
If, however, it is necessary to amend or alter the charge during the proceedings but
before the findings, the defaulter will be informed of alteration and asked to plead
to the amended charge, and will be given full opportunity to cross-examine or give
or call further evidence to meet such charge. Regulation 369 (16).
26. When the Adjudicating officer has satisfied himself that the charge is
properly worded, is the correct charge for the breach of discipline alleged, and that
quoted, he should address the defaulter the by rank, name and number, read out
the charge and explain the nature of the offence carefully to the defaulter, ensuring
that he understands it. Then he should ask the defaulter whether he admits or
denies the offence and has a defense to offer. The necessary entries will be made
in the defaulter Register. Refusal by a defaulter to answer the charge should be
treated as a denial of the offence and the enquiry should proceed accordingly.
27. In all cases where there is a likelihood of the defaulter being punished with
dismissal, all he evidence must be tiken on. If the defaulter wishes to make a
statement or to give evidence on oath on his own he must be permitted to do so.
28. If the Adjudicating officer considers the offence to be such that it merits
punishment greater than his powers to impose, he will after recording a conviction
refer 'the case, together with the record .and a brief analysis and his
recommendations as to award of punishment with in his powers as he considers fit
or the case may be further referred for the same reason, to a more senior officer (s)
in succession, for the award of punishment (Regulation 369 (30 and 3 1)
29. PUNISHMENTS: It is not practicable to lay down any definite scale of
punishment that should be inflicted for specific offence, as the severity or other
wise of a punishment must depend entirely upon the circumstance under which the
offence was committed. The gravity of the offence itself and the character of the
offender. A great deal of discretion is,,therefore, of necessity, left for adjudicating
officers and they must exercise their power of punishment with the greatest care
and deliberation (21) of the Adjudicating officer finds the defaulter guilty, he
awards punishment appropriate for the offence committed. This is done after he
has informed the defaulter of the punishment he intends to award or recommend.
The defaulter should always understand that the effect of certain punishments can
be redeemed. So that it will not interfere with their subsequent career in the force,
in recognition of a subsequent act of good service. Regulation 374.
30. Where a defaulter has committed two or more offences all of which
occurred at approximately the same time, only one punishment will be imposed to
cover all offences. But were a defaulter has committed a series of offences taking
place at different times, a separate punishment may be imposed.
31. The following are the penalties under the second schedule of the police
regulations to which a member of the inspectorate, N.C.O. or constable may be
liable.
(a) Dismissal:
May be awarded to inspector by the IG, to sergeant by a commissioner and
to a corporal or constable or recruit by a Deputy Commissioner. Dismissal from
the force entails forfeiture of all leave privileges and retiring benefits.
(b) Reduction in rank or grade: . Before this punishment is imposed it should be taken into careful
8
consideration that the defaulter's re-instatement direct to the rank or grade will not
be approved unless it is to the grade immediately above that to which he was
reduced. He will be required to serve at least one year in the rank or grade to
which he was reduced and at least 6 months in each grade or 'rank between that
and his original rank. A.C.P. may, however, at any time, as reward for gallantry or
other especially meritorious service, restore him to the rank of grade from which
he was reduced. When a punishment of reduction in rank is imposed a fine may
not be imposed as well. A member of the force reduced in rank will be placed at
the top of the seniority roll and incremental scale of the rank to which he is
reduced.
(c) Withholding or deferment of increment:
An increment cannot be deferred or withholding of an increment does not
affect a defaulter's incremental date. Deferment means that the defaulter loses the
benefit of the increment for the period that it is deferred.
Withholding an increment is a much more serious punishment as theloss is
accumulative, i.e. as long as the defaulter receives normal, advancement, he
remains one increment behind his contemporaries, and more-over, his
advancement in grade will be retarded.
(d) Severe reprimand, fine and reprimand
(e). Confinement to Barracks, fatigues, extra drill etc.
32. Below are condensed penalties which may be imposed under the police
Regulations as distinct from those enumerated in the second schedule.
(a) Discharge as unfit for the office of a constable or unlikely to become
an efficient constable.
This is not a statutory punishment as defined in the second schedule and no
orderly Room proceedings are necessary. Regulation 1 10 a provides for the
discharge of a Recruit whose conduct or progress has not been satisfactory, as
unlikely to become an efficient constable. Regulation 102 provides for the
discharge of any constable during the period of his firs engagement who is
negligent in the discharge of his duty or otherwise for the office of constable.
Discharge in both cases requires the approval of a commissioner.
S.P.Os are guided based on the fact that discharge under Regulation 102
will only be recommended during the period of the constable's first engagement,
that is during the first 3 years of his service in the force. When it is obvious from
3 7
his pas't record etc or conducts that he is of no use as a police officer in that he
cannot be relied upon to do his duty efficiently andlor that his continued presence
is a positive deterrent to the proper performance of police work. When it is
apparent that from his work and or past offences committed by him, he is making
no effort to improve, he should be given a written warning; pointing out his
failings and stating clearly that if there is no improvement either in his work or
conduct, consideration will be given for his discharge under this regulation. When
the officer is lastly discharged by the commissioner through the S.P.O'S
recommendation that he has failed to change in spite of all warnings and
admonitions.
POLICE BEFORE THE COURT
No member of the force, however, who has committed a disciplinary
offence will be placed for trial before the court of law without authority of a C.P.
The powers vested in Adjudicating officers should be adequate for dealing with
the normal disciplinary offences.
When it appears to commanding officer that offence against discipline
committed by a Police Officer (P.O.) is so grave that it should be taken before a
court the Adjudicating officers will make out an order in the form given below in
appendix iii now attached. It will be sent to the CP together with the relevant
papers and his reasons for asking for court trial, for approval and signature.
A defaulter who has been charged for a disciplinary offence cannot
subsequently be sent for trial before a court on the same charge.
(C) Reduction in rank or dismissal etc. following Judicial conviction see
Regulation 3 8 1 (2) (b) and (c) d stoppage of pay -for loss or damage to property:
regulation 385 (1) provides for the stoppage from an inspectors, NCO'S or
constable pay of the value of any arms, accoutrements, clothing or necessaries cost
or otherwise disposed of by him or as a result of this neglect. Regulation 385 (iii)
providers for similar stoppages from pay of any such member who willfully or
negligently damages any vehicle, craft or property issued for the use of the force.
(e) Forfeiture of pay for absence without leave. This is governed by
Regulations 382 (i) and (ii) and need no further explanation.
These and many more are some of the disciplinary offences committed by
officers and men of the Nigeria police force and with punishments attached to
them after due process has been embarked upon by trying them in an orderly
Room.
QUERIES
The two methods of disciplining erring officers are two. ~ u e r ~ and orderly
Room Trial. It is pertinent to point out that we have just finished with that of Rank
and file and Inspectors who are all the time charged and fried in orderly room.
That is when they breached discipline. On the other hand, queries are issued to
superior police officers. (SPOs)
The enabling law that establishes method of discipline of superior police
officers is provided under section 369 (1) and (2) of the Police Regulation Cap
359, law of the federation of Nigeria, 1990. Similarly section 370 of the same
regulation provides for offences against discipline for inspectors, non-
commissioned officers and constables. Also section 37 1 of the regulation provides
for punishment that may be imposed on them as already enumerated.
2.1.9 FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR FALLING OF DISCIPLINE IN
THE FORCE.
Looking at the Nigeria police force before and after the millennium, a
prudent man will discover that the hrce is bedeviled with a lot of problems.
According to Cyriacus Uzoma (ASP) while commenting on the "concept of
leadership and leadership styles on force performance" at police Staff College Jos
expatiated the baneful nature of leadership and bureaucratic structure of the force.
"The is associated with inefficiency, lack of initiative, un-intelligent rigidity to
colonial mentality, not wearing human face, undue fussiness on the part of leaders
and down right stubbornness". Police seem to maintain the traditional model of
public administration based on strictly hierarchical paradigms of bureaucracy,
staffed by permanent, neutral and anonymous officials, serving government in
power but conversely in consistent with some beneficial bureaucratic rules as
contained in the police Act Cap 154 and police Reg. 1968.
PROMOTION BASED ON EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
According to the Act and Regulation quoted above, constables who passed
English and math's and two additional papers are no longer considered for
accelerated promotion to corporal as hitherto was the case in the force. Also
constables and other junior ranks promoted to the next rank based on merit or
length of service may stay up to 12 years before considered for promotion.
Thereby making the force a blind alley occupation - where there no hope or
prospects for those occupying the lower level positions. The same thing happens
to inspectors who are most often than not stagnated in one rank for up wards of
between.15 to 20 years to the effect that most of then will retire as inspectors and
nothing more. All these preferment aqd absurd treatments are contrary to section
162 and 163 of the Act and Regulations.
Also section 39 of the same Act maintains that "when vacancies in the
establishment of ASPS of police cannot by reason of unavailability of suitable
candidates, be filled by promotions from within the force, the IGP shall so inform
the federal Establishment secretary and may request him to arrange for the posts to
be filled by direct entry.
Incontrovertibly, these sections of the police Act and Regulations are
creat8d to motivate and as well as to rejuvenate personnel. They reinforce workers
and make them to work harder and be cool headed to conform with the
organizational rules and code of conduct both within and outside the organization.
It is pathetic and sublimely abhorred globally to see a situation whereby the
hoippoloi members of the force (Rank and file) cannot go beyond inspectorate
cadre at retirement age. It is also deprecatory as well to see cadet schemes (ASPs
and Inspectors) as exclusively reserved for certain group of people, the ruling
class. The ruling class wants their sons and daughters enlist into the force as cadet
ASPs and inspectors - so that within a short space of time, they will grow in the
force as leaders and stand in enviable positions to churn out orders and directives
that will favour the ruling class. This adherence and inclination flagrantly abuse
section 39 of the police Acts and Regulations as quoted above. It is an irony of
history and it is the most unacceptable code of conduct that dampens morale and
kills the spirit to put in ones best whereby there exists graduates from various
fields and discipline in the force who are still rank and file. Notwithstanding the
fact that some of the rank and file and inspectors have obtained their higher
degrees, the police managers and authorities always look out wards to look for
qualified graduates to fill in vacancies as cadre ASPs and inspectors using quota
system. It was this obvious outrageous act and injustice that rksulted in the first
police ever strike in Nigeria.
Other factors that are strongly responsible for falling discipline in the force
include :-
1 OPERATING ENVIRONMEPT: - it is a truism that discipline deals with
the level to which the employees of an organization are able to conform and
submit them selves to the rules and regulations governing their conduct in the
work place. This also includes conduct outside the immediate workplace but has
implications that border on the status of the employee as a member of the
organization Onah: 2003
It is germane to point out that the force operates in an environment
encompassed with corruption. Consequently, members of Squad 1A ASP
promotion course 1, 2003 in their opinion maintained that "the Nigeria Society
had become Sophisticatedly corrupt and are its members.. . .." Today, the
immediate past governors of some states are arrested with multifarious criminal
oriented charges encapsulated in corruption and criminal abuse of office and
privileges. In the same vein, today's police, therefore, not only faced with under-
finding and non-availability of mode& policing equipment and methods but more
dangerously, with the weevil of corruption which has eaten deep into its fabric.
Funds meant for equipment, staff welfare, and general wellbeing of all the
members of the force are often fraudulently converted into personal use or
misappropriated by most senior police officers at all levels.
Fab Onah (2003:306) asserted that "the bulk of the factors responsible for
indiscipline are traceable to the environment and the instinct to survive". He went
firther to opine that the immediate environment of the employee is his
organization. The organizational environment substantially determines how helshe
responds to rules and regulations.
2. SOCIAL FACTORS
(A) POOR JOB SOCIALIZATION :- Lack of adequate training facilities to
members of the police force, which make them to be half baked police ofikers in
terms of efficiency and productivity and, of course, in terms of being amenable to
discipline in the service.
(B) LACK OF ADEQUATE MOTIVATION:- motivation according to Khan
and Katz is "the immediate influence on the direction, vigour and persistence of
action". It has been defined in terms of how behaviour gets started, energized,
sustained, directed, stopped and what type of subjective reaction is present in the
organization. While all these are going on. It is the innate urge to do a thing
because that thing has meaning to the person doing it. Motivation does not include
only economic reward but also promotion and provision of basic necessi.ties of
life. Having seen the importance of motivation in enhancing job performance, one
can rightly say unequivocally that lack of adequate motivation id one of the factors
responsible for the falling standard of discipline in the force, as lack of it causes
job dissatisfaction and low moral upon which negative attitude of most policemen
and women are anchored upon.
(c) SOCIAL DEPRIVATION: It is perceived that denial of privileges and
other social amenities like Barrack accommodation, promotion, fringe benefits,
and allowances make the policemen feel frustrated, disillusioned and disenchanted
in the job. In other services for an example, long service awards of lOyrs in
service, 20yrs, 30yrs and 35yrs at 'retirement are obtainable. The souvenirs
presented at such duration's of service served as legacies in the epitome of one's
life history but in the police it is not so.
A history of how police officer's family was evacuated after 3months of
transfer out of the state with the officer not being accommodated in the new
station, which weakens the organizational, staff control. A situation also whereby
police men perform the kind of job that does not allow them to stay permanently
with their wives and siblings. They cannot train and control their wives and
children and equally alienated from their parents due to incessant transfers and
emergency duties. All these ugly situqtions call for staff indiscipline and control
problems.
(D) DECEPTIVE LOVE AFFAIRS:- this is very rampart in organizations
including the force. A situation whereby serinor police officers be friend and make
love to the junior ranked female officers. In this dispensation, one defaulting these
female officers for disciplinary offences runs the risk of incurring the wrath of
their temporary husbands, the senior officers.
3. PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTOR:- @
Lambroso, an Italian medical practitioner and a criminologist performed a
post modern examination called autopsy on condemned criminals during which he
discovered that there is a factor in a man's brain called Atvism or traits which are
responsible for criminal tendencies and negative behavious up till now there has
not been any psychological test to unveil or disprove this attribute both:in the
would be police officers and those already recruited. This fact is responsible,
however, for most police officers deviant behaviour amongst which indiscipline
and total disregard to police professional ethics and etiquette are apparent.
A principle in psychiatry unfolds that the physiognomy (facial expression)
of an individual if monitored for some time would be used to determine people of
unsound mind. All these, police have neglected to carryout before enlisting into
the force.
4. POLITICAL FACTOR:- t
(a) Political chauvinism/ethnic influence. Every police officer is an ambassador of
his own ethnic group hence transfers, promotions are based on quota basis or
system. This builds ethnicity and mediocrity which lowers efficiency and
productivity and thereby promoting indiscipline.
(b) Lack of Amendment of the Police Acts and Regulations:- Nothing has been
done to amend them to suit the modern Nigeria police force. This lacuna has
created disciplinary problems.
(c) Manipulation by politicians:- The politician have been manipulating the police
to suit their selfish desires without minding the detriments it may cause to the
force. The junior ones are mostly affected in this respect as they are forced to
do duties not prescribed by the regulation guarding their service. They see such
refusal as indiscipline.
5. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR:-
.Sigmond Freud in his psychoanalytical theory conceptualized the three
psychodynamic institutions of human personality namely ID, Ego and super Ego.
According to Freud, indiscipline and other deviant behaviours are function of the
under development of the ego and the super Ego in the individuals. Most police
officers are predominantly controlled by the ID which is primitive with attendant
self-satisfaction and anti-social impulses. Such officers manifest high degree of
indiscipline and tend to defy all the institutional procedures that need corrections
and behavioural modification like aversiontheration are predominantly controlled
by the ID which is primitive with attendant self-satisfaction and anti-social
impulses. Such officers manifest high degree of indiscipline and tend to defy all
the institutional procedures but need corrections and behavioural modification like
aversion therapy
ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
In analyzing this situation, Prof. Fab. 0. Onah (2003:308) made the
universe to understand that:
A' climate of pervasive poverty in the operating environment and the
relatively low and highly irregular pay in enterprises creates an environment that
suggests other sources of livelihood for employees who must struggle to survive.
This pressure to survive manifests in different dimensions whose end-point is
indiscipline. Under this circumstance, some policemen resort to doing other
businesses out side their regular employment using official time. This is against
the norms of civil rule. Others join armed robbery Some demand
gratification to render their normal services and may loathe to serve if such
gratification is not forthcoming. All these result in indiscipline caused by low and
unmanageable monthly remuneration.
Furthermore, it is generally behaved that because of the inability to pay
well, so many policemen have vehemently rehsed to put in their best in the job.
They mainly come to work late, go on extended break, loiter about during office
hours, close before normal time, take risks associated with fighting armed robbers
and cultists, use road blocks as toll gates and generally put in little effort in their
job performance. Pay is the motivator and remuneration commensurate with ones
tasks are the moving spirit behind harder efforts towards accomplishment of tasks
in work oriented and organized organization. (Uzoma C. 2006).
INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE FACTORS
In this regard, other behaviourists argue that environment is not the sole
stimulating and determining factor of employee action even though it plays a vital
role.
Reitz (1977: 48 - 50) in discussing causes of behaviour argues that human
behaviour is a function of both the individual who is behaving and the
environment. According to him, behaviour is a function of the interaction between
a person and his environment.
Through extensive and facts finding research, examples deduced include:
(a) Perception of the Historical Role of the Government
It is pertinent to recall that our erstwhile colonial masters used her agencies
and the police to exploit her acquired colonies in Africa. Government machineries
served more to maintain colonial dominance over their colonies and this created a
conflict of interest between the government and the governed. Based on the
foregoing, the governed looked upon the government as exploitative and
oppressive and the police as the sole agent of exploitation and suppression.
Consequently, those who work for the government saw the job as "a white man's
work". This means that the colonial agents then and now maintained that nothing
good comes out of the job having affirmed their belief that the job belongs to the
government. This feeling of absolute alienation impacted negatively on
policemen's commitment to the force. This had resulted in less than optimal
performance and negative attitude to work. s
(b) Individual Differences
Douglas Mc Gregor's (1980) postulation of theories X and Y made us to
understand that some workers exhibit inherent dislike for work, escape from it
whenever possible and must be coerced to work. Others for the fear of punishment
naturally embrace work. This brings to the fore differences in individual's attitude
to work and makes us to understand that even if the environment, that is the
condition of service, is made favourable to every worker, some policemen are
bound to exhibit innate characteristics that border on indiscipline. Onah (2003)
made us to understand that "this may come from their background, peer group
influence, personal weaknesses, individual limitations and personality traits
peculiar to them as distinct individuals. Exhibition of discipline or indiscipline
here becomes a function of individual traits.
(c) LeadershipIManagement Style
The Nigeria police force is akin to the armed forces. It is a command
structured or regimented organization. The philosophy depicts that the police as an
organization is hierarchically arranged with instruction or command from above
and obedience and compliance from below. In this regard, the consent of the
junior ranks is not sought for during decision making process that affects virtually
every member of the force. The perception and general impression of the junior
ranks are that the decisions always reached are not in their best interest since their
welfare is not always considered. The order and force directives are believed to be
churned to compel junior workers to work as slaves and zombies. . Another important point is total negligence of the meritocracy and seniority
due to quota system and ethnic chauvinism.
These ideologies so projected bring to the force, the concept of promoting
less qualified and less experienced policemen and junior police officers who will
in turn lead and control their seniors simply because due process was not followed.
These'phenomena breed indiscipline and dampen ones prospects in life.
(D) THE REWARD SYSTEM
P&t of the problem of disc'ipline in the force arises from the reward system.
Peter Sheal(1992) perceives the function of the performance appraisal as a way of
increasing merit. He feels that pay should include an element for paying
employees according to performance. As such, it becomes important that
individual's contribution to the organization should be fairly assessed.
Conversely, in the force, rewards have no substantial link with performance
appraisal reports since most often than not, officers and men are promoted without
attaching importance to their appraisal reports. It paves a way for a reward and pay
not related to performance to the extent that there is, however, n o room for those
who have performed gallantly and meritoriously to have an edge over those who
have never performed optimally in terms of reward and pay. This phenomenon
erodes the spirit of ha.rd work and results in flagrant abuse of power.
(e) In Effectiveness of Disciplinary Process.
The force internal disciplinary &stem is flawed or weakened by its duration
which characteristically takes a long time to conclude: This weakens it and renders
the exercise futile. It creates rooms for adjudicating officers to be bribe and for
erring officers to bring in influential personalities to stop the orderly room trail.
The same thing is applicable to Queries issued to SPO's and its outcome at force
headquarters and even when forwarded to police service commission for review
and confirmation of punishments.
2.2 HYPOTHESES
Hypothesis is a tentative statement which is open to confinnation of rejection
when exposed to empirical verification. Np wonder then, Abcarian and Masnannat
(1970:28) defined hypotheses as "a proposed explanation of certain events or
relationships suggested by past analysis that may be confirmed or refuted by the new
scientific work.
In this work, therefore, the researcher postulated the following hypotheses in line
with researcher's statement of problems and objectives of the study. There hypotheses are
to be analyzed and tested in subsequent chapter. They are:-
1. Poor remuneration is one of the problems associated with the maintenance and
enforcement of discipline in the Nigeria police force.
2. Nigeria police force is corrupt may be due to lack of incentives and corrupt
environment the members operate.
3. The problem of maintained and enforcement of discipline may be as a result of much
layered internal disciplinary mechanisms.
2.3 THEORETICAL FRAME WORK
Incontrovertibly, police should be seen globally as an indispensable
organization saddled statutorily with the onerous duties of prevention and
detection of crime, the protection of life and property just to mention but a few.
Based on the functions of the police world wide, one can plausibly deduce
that peace and ordered society are the hallmark of police as a profession. If that is
conceived as truth, it can, therefore, be inferred that police is synonymous with
maintaining a moral oriented society that is incompatible with as well as devoid of
crime and criminal activities.
For the force, however, to police the society very well, it means that the
force must be disciplined. This theory is rationally accepted because, where there
is no peace anarchy and disorderliness prevail. The gem of the discourse is based
on discipline and the problems associated with its maintenance and enforcement in
Nigeria.
A number of theoretical explanations have been adduced so far on the topic.
But the most expatiated upon is "Discipline as the pillar on which the Nigeria
police force is founded. It maintains that a lot of factors such as economic, social,
political ,and others are responsible for the falling standard of discipline in the
force. These factors when rigorously x-rayed we may likely form an opinion
whether they are contributory of factors responsible for the problem of
maintenance and enforcement of Discipline in the force.
The Nigeria police force as a first class government owned and
bureaucratically oriented organization has its dos and don'ts. Based on this
singular reason, policemen are recruited and trained to embtace and maintain
certain rules and regulations. One of the aims and objectives of these rules and
regulations is to ensure that profitable dimension is gained in the reduction of
deviant behaviours and inculcation of desirable and positive attitudes into
members of the force. Others include the preservation of police professional
ethics, the promotion of efficient job performance of members of the force and to
promote conformity and obedience among the members of the force.
It was in consonance with discipline maintenance and enforcement that
made the police to evolve two methods of disciplining the erring officers. They are
Queries and orderly Room Trials
However, many factors are responsible for the falling standard of discipline
in the force. One of them is the contravention af the police Acts and Regulations
which manifested in inefficiency and strict adherence to colonial mentality. Also
the doctoring of the same section to the extent that promotions are not given to
those who are qualified at the right time. The doctrine whereby section 39 of the
same police Act was distorted in favour of the ruling class to the effect that
vacancies for the positions of cadet ASPS and Inspectors are not filled from within. I
In the same vein, Fab.0. Onah (2003) maintains that:-
Discipline deals with the level to which the
employees of an organization are able to conform and
submit themselves to the rules and regulations
governing their conduct in the workplace. This also
includes conduct outside the immediate workplace but s has implications that border on the status of the
employee as a number of the organization.
It is germane to point out that the force operates in the society that is
obesed with corruption. That being the case, the force must as well be corrupt
since its members were recruited from the society that is corrupt. In line with the
above, members of squad I ASP promotion course 1, 2003 maintains that the
Nigeria society has become so sophisticatedly corrupt and so are its members.
Capitalism and its ideology of unlimited acquisition of personal wealth has opened
the road map for any how acquisition of wealth no matter how the wealth is
acquired. Capitalism encourages corruption and results in .having a corrupt
infested society such as Nigerian society. So, the force made up of officers and
men drawn from the society must be corrupt like the society (Uzoma, 2006).
Other factors are social factors such as lacks of motivation which culminate
into disfimctionalism. Lack of considerable remuneration, deceptive love affairs
etc. Peter Sheal (1992) perceives the fynction of performance appraisal as a way of
increasing merit. He feels that pay should be accompanied with performance. It
becomes imperative that individual contributions to the organization should be
fairly assessed. But regrettably, reward systems have no substantial link with
performance. All these and many more call for maintenance and enforcement of
discipline in the force.
2.4 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
The descriptive, historical and explanatory orientation of this study indeed, the
very nature of it prechudes a strictly quantitative method of data collection. Therefore,
two main sources of data collection are used by the researcher. They are according to
Gbo (1998:63) primary and secondary sources of data.
To collect primary data, the researcher distributed questionnaires containing seven
relevant questions. As an insider, the researcher included his own anthenticated personal
experience gleaned from personal observation and the use of direct personal interview
In the same vein, to collect secondary data, the researcher made use of textbooks,
journals, and government publications. Unpublished materials from police premier staff
college dos in plateau state, part of our secondary data was sourced by exploring the
internet at unpublished projects.
To get the required data, the researcher plausibly gathered data from
questionnaires distributed to officers and men drawn from the university of Nigeria
campus monitoring unit, the police urban Divisional Headquarters Police Area command
all in Nsukka.
Population:- the researcher population counts of seventy officer (70) and men of the
NPF drawn from the aforementioned places. In the study, the researcher made valuable
use of six (6) superior police officers (SPOS) from hispectors (4) an sixty rank file (60)
(from sergeants to constables). All there samples were drawn as indicated above through
random sampling method.
Based on the population and chosen mode of administering questionnaires, which
was personally served or delivered to the respondents. A total number of seventy
questionnaires were prepared and each questionnaire contains relevant questions in
conformity with the researcher hypotheses. The hypotheses were presented it analyzed
using the percentage analysis and tables
2.5 METHOD OF DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
In carrying out this research project, the data so colleted through above
mentioned techniques will be criticaliy analyzed and interpreted with the use of
the following under mentioned research methods.
A: TABULATION - This involves tallying of collected data into meaningful
groups. It enabled the researcher to prepare quantitative data so that they can be
readily understood and their significant values appreci,ated.
B: PERCENTAGES - The data collected so far from responses given in the
questionnaires shall be analyzed on percentage basis. The percentages of data
collected in respect of each alternative given will be calculated against the total
response using frequency and percentage tables.
2.6 OPERATIONALIZATION OF KEY CONCEPTS
1. NIGERIA - One of the African countries that came into existence
following the 1914 amalgamation of the Southern and Northern
protectorates by the colonial masters (British people).
2. POLICE OR THE POLICE - Means a member or members of the police
force established under sections 11 and 13 of the police Act.
RANK AND FILE - means police officers from the rank of constable to
sergeants
INSPECTORS - Includes, a chief inspector. An officer above the rank of
sergeant major but below the rank of Assistant superintendent of police.
POLICE OFFICER - Means any member of the Nigeria police force.
THE FORCE - Means, the police force established under sections 11 and
13 of the police Act.
POLICE CULTURE - Defined as a complex collection of values,
attitudes, symbols, rules and practices, which emerge as the police react to
the exigencies and situations they confront in their duties:
POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION - A complementary institution,
which came into existence with respect to (PSC) Act No 1 of 2001. This act
confers specific powers , of civilian oversight on the police service
commission.
The structure and functional scope of the Nigerian police services
commission in unique in the world in combining powers of appointment,
promotion, investigation and discipline over all staff of the police besides
the IGP.
POLICE ACTS AND REGULATIONS - A mere writien procedures that
state clearly the dos and don'ts of the organization. Also in it, procedures
for dealing with breaches are written and must not be violated.
ENFORCEMENT - The act of compelling obedience as required by rules
and regulations.
MAINTENANCE - To ensure that a particular rule or order is obeyed.
STATUTE or LAW - passed by legitimate body whereas, statutory means
done according to statute or law.
5 3
DISCIPLINE - Conformity with the values and norms of the society. It is
also defined as the application of force is secure good conduct and the
willing compliance of the lawful order and command of the authority.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: This overtly explains the technique
used in collection, analysis and interpretation of data. That is the research
design, which lays more emphasis on how the work was conducted. In this
study, the researcher made use of historical, and descriptive research
methods.
DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
DEFINED: Descriptive researches is concerned with the collection of
data for the purposes of describing and interpreting existing conditions,
prevailing practices, beliefs, attitude and on-going processes. While
Historical research deals with the determination, evaluation for the purpose
of gaining a better and clearer understanding of the present and making
more reliable predictions of the future.
RESEARCH POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE: A population: as
long as this word is concerned, the population is presumed to be the
universe. The researcher made use of the personnel of UNN campus
monitoring unit, this unit is malle up of two inspectors and 2 rank and file
for the purpose of clarity, rank and file includes sergeant majors, sergeants,
corporals and constables. The population also includes (6) six SPOs, two
inspectors and 20 rank and file all drawn from Nsukka urban Divisional
Headquarters and Area command police Headquarters Nsukka. a
SAMPLE SIZE: It is defined as a united number of elements selected from
a representative population. Considering the population of the Nigeria
police force, the researcher deems. It expedient to adopt a simple random
sampling method, this ensures that each element in the population of SPOs
down to rank and file has an equal and independent chance of being
included.
(17) RESEARCH DESIGN: The researcher used six SPOs, four inspectors and
sixty rank and file. The Population is drawn from CUM UNN, Nsukka
urban police and Area command Headquarters.
(18) RESEARCHER INSTRUMENT USED: In carrying out this researcher
work, the researcher made use of the following research instruments
normally, questionnaires, interview and personal observation methods.
CHAPTER THREE
3:l BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE STUDY AREA.
The Nigeria police force came into existence in 1914 following the
amalgamation of southern and northern protectorate. This was made possible
through the enforcement of ordinance' No 2 of 1930 and thus the Nigeria police
force was created with its Headquarters then in Lagos.
The provision of this ordinance has persistently been re-enacted in all the
successive constitutions of Nigeria till date as evident in sections 214 'of the
Nigeria constitution, 1999 and section 3 of the police Act.
3;2 POWERS AND FUNCTIONS
Retrospectively, the colonial masters who formed the Nigeria police force
gave the force unlimited powers. The powers were conferred on them based on the
numerous duties facing them. One of the reasons for the powers was to enable the
police to brutalize, compel and discipline the natives who vehemently refused to
pay their taxes and do force labour. So it was because of the imperialistic ambition
and exploitative tendencies of the colonial masters that made possible for the
Nigeria police to be given wide powers. The irony of it all is that when police
officers flagrantly abused these powers in the course of their duties. They were not
accountable for their misconducts.
This was the genesis of the hatred the members of the public have for the
force. Consequent upon the above assertion, it is a truism that no matter how evil a
police officer has discharged his duties, it is still possible that some members of
the public will still fault him and at the same directly malign the force.
The above unfortunate affair qot withstanding, the indispensability of the
Nigeria police force became apparent even to the mad man in the street. To the
extent that prudent homosapiens still uphold the notion that no society can exist
without the police. This is because the police maintain peace and order as will as
to check -mate the activities of deviants in that society. It was obviously because
of the fore going that made the Nigeria police 'force to be con'ferred specifically
with eight powers to enable her perform their functions that will culminate in
obtaining a crime-free and ordered society. The duties and functions of the Nigeria
police force are contained in sections 23 -30 of the police Act. '
It is a truism and it is the most accepted fact that, police must perform their
onerous duties and functions. While performing or discharging their duties, they
make appropriate use of numerous powers bequeathed to them statutorily. At
times, in the course of their duties, as Homo sapiens, they abuse them. It was this
absurd behaviour of the police, call it slight abuse or flagrant abuse of power that
made the force to be castigated and grossly maligned by members of the public.
To the extent that majority of the members of the public would only make
recourse to the police when attacked by armed robbers or when faced with serious
danger. But in normal circumstance, policemen are enemies and loathsome
organizations.
It was in recognition of this abuse of powers and privileges by the force that
made the force to maintain a high standard of discipline. Therefore, the Nigeria
police force being an institution bestowed with much powers must be manned by
officers and men of impeccable character whose behaviours must be defined
clearly in regulations or departmental 'policy in order to secure the expected high
professional standards of discipline and conduct. The officers and men of the force
are not only expected to exhibit self discipline but to be above board at all times
(privately and officially). In order to achieve this objective efficiently, the police
managers from time to time formulate written directives through the medium of
force orderlforce administrative instructions to regulate the conduct and acceptable
behavo& of police officers and men . These directives also serve as official notice
as to the position of the police on specific issues. One of such important directives
is F.A.1 NO 12, which clarifies procedures in respect of the administration of
discipline in the force. The new police regulations part XVI, which came into the
force lSt April 1968 introduced extensive and important changes in the
administration of discipline throughout the force. The regulations are in the most
part self-explanatory. Thus this instruction is, therefore, designed to clarify certain
points of procedure and to lay down firm instruction covering the maintenance of
records which must be strictly adhered to throughout the force.
3;3 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
The police acts and regulations vividly spell out what constitute
disciplinary offences in the force. So in that order, .specific breaches of certain
rules, which embodied the dos and don'ts of the force, constitute disciplinary
offences for which the person involved is internally punished.
There are procedures for dealing with breaches of the police internal laws,
order and directives and must not be violated. That is what give rise to the
problems of maintenance and enforcement of discipline in the force. For example,
the first schedule to police regulation 370, Cap 357, laws of the federation of
Nigeria 1990 lists out some of the actions that may amount to offence by a serving
member. Disciplinary procedures for the officer's cadre of superior ,police
officer's of the force are spelt out under the public service rules (Revised to lSt
January, 2000) paragraphs 04101 to 04601 and the code of conduct under part XV
of the police regulation.
3;4 DISCIPLINARY TECHNIQUES
The junior officers, from the ranks of constables to sergeant majors are
defaulted when the commit disciplinary offences. They are tried in a court called
orderly room trial. The same thing is applicable to inspectors. All these categories
of junior officers are tried by adjudicating officers delegated to try them. The
erring officers are not allowed to consult lawyers when tried in an orderly room
but heais allowed to call in his witnesses. Prudent ad proficient inspectors may be
delegated to try officers below them mostly constables.
At the headquarters or command level provosts aptly described as state
provosts are used as disciplinarians and expert in the enforcement and
maintenances ad expert in the enforcement and maintenance of discipline. Provost
section sees to the fact that erring officers in all manners of discipline are brought
to book and disciplined in orderly room trial. If found guilty of the offence
charged, they are punished according.
In the same vein, when an SPO commits an offence, he is appropriately
queried by his commander. If the offence is a serious one, a copy of the query is
forwarded to force secretary. In line with the principles of fair hearing, his
representation is called for by the command, usually within seventy-two hours.
The query, his representation and comments by the commissioner of police (CP)
are sent to the force secretary. In this regard, the zonal Assistant Inspector-General
of police (AIG) plays an intermediary role.
On receipt of the query and representation, the force secretary prepares a
memo to the disciplinary committee setting out the facts of the case. The
committee is made up of all DIGS, with DIG in charge of 'A' Department
(DIG'A') as the chairman. A date is fixed for hearing as the defaulter notified to
attend. At the end of the setting. The committee recommends to the IGP whether
to dismiss, retire reduce, reprimand or exonerate the defaulter.
Where defaulter is indicted a memo is prepared by the force secretary on
the instruction of the IGP to the PSC for appropriate award of punishment.
However, under the instrument of delegation by the police service commission
(NSC), the IG P is empowered to deal with disciplinary matters affecting police
officers up to the rank of superintendent of police (SP).
5 9
CHAPTER POUR
4.1 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
It is expedient to point out that the researcher collected vital data, as an
insider, from personal observation and interviews conducted on officers and men
of the N.P.F drawn from different commands.
As an addendum, the researcher plausibly gathered useful data from
questionnaires distributed to officers and men drawn from the University of
Nigeria. Campus monitoring unit, Police Urban Divisional Headquarters, and
Police Area Commands, all in Nsukka.
TABLE 1
Urban
command
CMU Nsukka
NIL 3
Inspectors
2 1
I I I I I I
Total 16 14 1 -60 1 70 1 70 I NIL Source: Researchers Data 2007
1
The above shows the research population, which consists of seventy
officers and men of the N.P.F drawn from the afore-mentioned places. In the
study, the researcher made valuable use of six (6) superior police officers (Spos)
Rank and file
20 20
four (4) inspectors and sixty rank and file (from sergeant to constables).
20
Based on the population and chosen mode of service, which is personally
served or delivered to the respondents. A total number of seventy questionnaires
No. of question distributed 22 24
were prepared and each questionnaire contains seven relevant questions in
24
conformity with the researcher's hypotheses.
The hypotheses were presented. and analyzed using the percentage analysis
and tables.
No filled
22 24
No unfilled
NIL NIL
24 NIL
Quest.1. Is any or all these factors part of the problems of discipline maintenance
and enforcement by the Nigeria Police Force ( NPF).
Table 1
I Non of the above I Nil I Nil I
Options Discipline not given priority attention Absence of periodic review of the disciplinary system Lack of budget /resource allocation
1 All of the above 1 60 1 85.7 I I Total 1 70 1 99.98%
Source: researcher's data 200'7
Responses 7 3 Nil
A critical observation shows that 60 out of 70 members of the respondent
. % 10 4.28 Nil
representing 99.98% agreed that discipline was not given any priority attention by
the managers of the NPF. The same number maintained that there was a
conspicuous absence of periodic review of the disciplinary system and that there
had not been any budget plan both in the past and now for the maintenance and
enforcement of discipline. 7 of the respondents agreed whereas 3 maintained that
there was absence of disciplinary review. Both constituted 10% and
4.28%respectively.
From above analysis, it is crystal clear that successive chiefs of police at
federal and state levels had failed to recognize discipline and disciplinary
mechanisms as tools to enhance police performance and to jettison those police
officers whose activities undermine police effective and improved public relation
in the country.
Question 2.
Distribution of responses on whether you think that police internal
disciplinary system is a mechanism that is multilayered and cumbersome?
Table 2.
I Total I 1 100 1
Options Yes No
Source:. Researcher's Data 2007.
From the table, it can be vividly seen that all the respondents agreed that
the police internal disciplinary system was a mechanism that was multilayered and
cumbersome.
Question 3.
Distribution of responses on whether if you consider the existence of the
following disciplinary mechanisms in the force.
Table 3.'
I Options 1 Responses ( %
Responds 70 NIL
1 At local government level. DCB and DPO'S MU 1 - I - I
YO 100 -
1 Non of the above 1 - I . I
At state level CP'S MU, State provost, STATE CID AND PCB At zonal level: Zonal C.I.D/ AIG's MU IGP'S MU /Police Provost Department F CID and X squads All of the above
1 Total 1 70 1 100 1 Source: Researcher's Data 2007
It is evident from the table that the respondents strongly agreed that all exist
as internal disciplinary. Mechanism in the N P F. The effect is that they are too
many and consequently the problem bf interaction and coordination by both the
persoqnel in charge of the mechanisms and the information or statistics they
generate. Also there is absence of standardized method in the recording and
processing of data generated by the mechanism.
From the above analysis, it could be inferred further that the numerous
nature of these mechanisms creates confusion among the people as to which of
them to send their petition for positive result.
-
- - - 70 '
-
- - - 100
Question 4.
Distribution of responses on whether you think that discipline is adversely
affected by:
Table 4.
I Promotion not based on merit I 6 1 8.57
Options Poor remuneration Lack of enhanced welfare package *
I Promotion delaved I 6 1 8.57 I I Cadets not statutorilv conducted 13 1 4.28 I
Responses 10 5
% 14.28 7.14
The table reveals that 40 of the respondents representing 57.14% agreed
that all the factors mentioned above are problems militating against discipline
maintenance and enforcement in the force. 10 of the respondents representing
14.28% agreed that poor remuneration was a big problem to discipline
maintenance and enforcement. 6 each of the respondents representing 8.57%
agreed that promotion not based on merit and promotion delayed impinged on the
subject matter. Whereas of the total population who are graduates said that the
managers in total disregarded to section 39 of the police Act Cap 154 and Police
Regulation 1968 used to select cadets from outside instead of selecting from
qualified serving members with the same higher' educational qualification who are
numerous within.
From the above analysis, one can deduce that all these create indiscipline
and mgke its maintenance and enforcement a big problem. Therefore, the problem
of maintenance and enforcement of discipline is an amalgam of many factors. It is
a'complex phenomenon which can be described in various ways and at various
levels of abstraction. However, it is contingent upon poor police salary the rest
factors.
All of the above Total Sources: Researcher's Data 2007.
40 57.14. 99.98
Question. 5
Do you consider all or any of the following factors as obnoxious practice
that impede on di~ci~line'maintenance and enforcement?
Table 5
subordinates I 1 I
Option Political favoritism/chauvinism Inordinate Relations between superiors and selected
Poor recruitment and faultv training 17 I 10 I Dece~tive love affairs 15 17.14 1
Responses 3 15
None of the above I - I - I
% 4.28 2 1.42
All of the above 1 40 1 57.14 I Source: Researcher's data 2007.
The Data reveals that 3 respondents representing 4.28% pinpointed political
interference and race superiority concepts in the force as a problem. 15 of the
respondents representing 21.42% agreed that the practice whereby IGPs, AIGs,
CPs, Area commanders and DPOs, create either monitoring units (MU) or special
squads to monitor and palliate the wave of crime and criminal ~ t i v i t i e s in their
areas of authority. These monitoring unit members maintain a very strong
relationship with their masters to the extent that they make money for their master.
In the process, they flagrantly abuse power and they are covered from their
infractions against members of the public. Members of these unit wield wide
powers and influence that nobody defaults them for disciplinary offences for fear
of negative consequences. 7 of the respondents agreed that poor recruitment and
faulty training are sources of problem of maintenance and enforcement of
discipline. 5 representing 7.14% blamed superior. Police officers (SPOs),
maintaining immoral ties with their females in their respective offices. Whereas
preponderance of the population considered all the factors.
From the above, it is prudent to maintain that poor salary, lack of enhanced
welfare package, promotion not based on merit, promotion delays, and cadets not
recruited from within even when the force has more than qualified human
resources are problems which hamper and demoralize the working population
dampen their morale to put in their best and result in indiscipline of a greater
height and dimension .
Question 6.
Do you think that the operating environment of the NPF is corrupts. ,
I Option I Responses I % 1 Yes 1 70 1100 . I I No I Nil I Nil I I Total 1 70 1 100% I
Source: Researcher's Data 2007.
From the table, it can be deduced that the environment under which the
force operates is corrupt. No wonder then, all the respondents agreed that Nigerian
society is corrupt ridden one.
From the above analysis, it becomes crystal clear that the NPF must be
corrupt since it was formed with officers and men drawn from the fabric of the
society that is obsessed with corruption and corrupt oriented practices of amazing
dimension.
Question 7
Responses on whether if the above is in the affirmative, how does it
impinge on discipline, its maintenance and enforcement?
I Option I Responses I % Police men and women recruited with corrupt genes in them
I Tendency to amass wealth is high 15 1 7.14 Flagraqt abuse of power and authority is rife Heightens indiscipline Damages image of the force both home and abroad All of he above Total
5 15 10
7.14 2 1.42 14.28
Sources: Researcher's data 2007.
30 70
42.87 99.99
The data reveals that 5 respondents representing 7.14% of the population
maintained that the environment from, which the NPF was extracted, was highly
corrupt. The same number of the respondents representing 7.14% of the
population believed that the corruption create the questlanxiety to amass wealth,
which in turn results in flagrant abuse of power and authority. 15 respondents
representing 21.42% maintained that corruption heightens indiscipline. 10 of the
respondents representing 14.28% agreed that corruption damages the image of the
force both at home and abroad finally, 30 of the respondents representing 42.87%
of the population agreed that operating environment of the NPF was corrupt. And
since it is corrupt, all the factors categorically mentioned in the table must be
evident.
From the above analysis, it becomes obvious that the operating
environment is a problem to discipline maintenance and enforcement in the NPF.
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 SUMMARY
The Nigeria police force is formed by the British imperialists in 1914
following the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates. It is a
force saddled with the onerous tasks of protection of lifes and property, prevention
and detection of crime amongst others.
In order to execute its duties and perform her functions with out hindrance,
the NPF was constitutionally recognized and statutorily given wide powers. These
wide powers are contained mostly in sections 23-30 of the police Act. In order to
ensure that the police do no flagrantly abuse these wide powers, the NPF as an
organization has norms and values. What is precious and what is Loathsome. What
are precious are those things considered acceptable for the well being of the force
and the society. What are Loathsome are the don'ts and unethical conducts which
expose the force vulnerable to be criticized and maligned by members of the
public.
For the force to perform with efficiency and effectiveness, the force must
maintain discipline. This is because without discipline the force is bound to suffer
disorderliness and lack the moving spirit considered expedient in the attainment of
its objectives. Because of the above, high premium is placed on discipline. As
such, policemen and women are expected to exhibit self-discipline. It is in
pursuance of this singular aim that made the force from time to time formulate
written directives through the medium of force order and Administrative
instructions. The aim is to regulate the conduct and acceptable behaviour of police
officerb and men. These directives also serve as official notice as to the position of
the force on specific issues. One of such important Directives is F.A.I. No 12,
which clarifies point/procedures in respect of the revised new police Regulations
(CDP 359), which dealt extensively with the administration of discipline in the
force.
Having given instructions and prder, it must be complied with. To ensure
their compliance, the police have evolved internal procedures for dealing with
those that breach discipline. There are two standard disciplinary methods for
dealing with erring officers. The two methods are Orderly Trial and Query.
All there procedures are spelt out under sections 369 (1) and (2) of the
police regulation Cap. 359, laws of the federal Republic of Nigeria, 1990. For
SPOs and 370 of the same Regulation for disciplining Inspectors and Rank and
file of the force.
It is a truism that in-spite of high premium placed on disc,ipline, it is a well-
known fact that the Nigerian public had in the part maligned the force for none
performance and gross indiscipline. At present too, the general image of the force
is trained and battered by preponderance of Nigerians.
It is at this juncture that attempt is being made through intensive research to
discover the problem of maintenance and enforcement of discipline in the force. In
this regard, both the managers ofthe force and the Nigerian government share the
same blame. On the part of mangers of the force, apart from poor managerial style,
they have strongly failed to suggest for the review of the two internal disciplinary
procedures for dealing with erring officers. These two disciplinary methods,
because they are multilayered and cumbersomk, confuse the 'general public on
which one to use.
The Nigerian government on their part has not evolved enhanced welfare
package for the force to the extent that an every policeman works in servitude and
ultimately considered a servile worker. Nigerians are corrupt and too complex to
handle. They often tinker with the .reality status of unpleasant things. As a
Nigerhn, Nigerians are to fastidious and had and continue to transfer aggression
they had for their erstwhile imperialists to their brothers in the force. They have
vehemently refused to pay the force good remuneration commensurate with the
risk associated with the job as a profession. It is, therefore, the quest to make more
money among the junior workers, to complements their poor monthly emolument
that has brought corruption for which the force is hated and blamed.
68
The above leads to insecurity on the part of the citizenry. Therefore, the
responsibility of protection of life's and property is placed on tlie shoulders of the
suspect-police. A force which majority of its members seemingly take delight in
misusing their powers in pursuance of their personal whims and caprices, who are
hardly refined, who always lose their temper, who are dishonest and are usually
influenced by their wish for gratification and other vested selfish interests, who are
rarely friendly and helpful and who are hardly objective in their investigation and
prosecution simply because their salaries are poor and negligible.
As an insider, these category of ill-mannered policemen revel in reckless
killings, unlawful monetization of suspects, bail, wrongful and unauthorized
duties, extraction of confessions from suspects, road block converted into toll
gates, ultra-vires dealings in civil cases, unlawful detention, malicious prosecution
and extortion of money from innocent citizens.
All these irregularities and acts of indiscipline exist because the leaders are
partly indirectly involved and partly due to ineffective and weakened internal
discipline system that if effectively utilize should have acted as a deterrent.
5.2 CONCLUSION (1)
The researcher after painstaking x-raying and re-examining the entire work
makes the following conclusions.
1. The problem of maintenance and enforcement of discipline started right from
the formation of the force. The colonial masters who were pqedisposed towards
economic exploitation did not punish the colonial police officers then who
treated the natives with brutality and discharged their duty ruthlessness and
with dishonesty.
2. That the colonial masters favoured the use of force to compel the natives to pay
their taxes and do force labour. To the extent that indiscipline was encouraged
and there was no remarkable disciplinary measures meted out to colonial
police officers for brutality against trade unionists and for flagrant abuse of
power.
3. 'Coming home, after the demise of the colonial masters, the internal
disciplinary procedure of the NPF is multi-layered and cumbersome. Its
complexities make it difficult for any aggrieved person to make use of:any of
them and expect desired attention.
4. Both the orderly Room trial for disciplining Inspectors and Rank and file and
Query system for dealing with erring SPOs are full of flaws. It takes a long
time to be concluded thereby giving enough opportunity to mitigating the
offence committed by the officer. At times, the erring officer because of undue
influence and passion, the adjudicating officer may hold him not culpable at
the end of the trial.
5. The internal disciplinary procedure is weakened by dearth of finance for the
procurement of logistics.
It is also bedeviled by the fact that, no IGP gave discipline the priority
attention it deserved. The system is not reviewed and there has not been any
budget destined for its operational efficiency. This is evident in the manner in
which provost marshals of the police even look for finance from the officers
facing disciplinary charges to procure needed materials.
6. The creation of special squads by IGPs, AIG's, CP's Area Commander's and
DPO's compound the problem. These special squads to some people are
created to palliate and obliterate the wave of crime and criminal activities. To
others, it is created with a feigned reason of generating finance for the creator.
The members of these squads are more often than not brutal and ruthless. They
are equally obsessed in gross indiscipline. Yet these transparent erring officers
~ann6t be defaulted and they are protected against complaints from members
of the public.
7. Another problem is operating environment Nigerians are corrupt. Some
maintain that the country is sublimely corrupt to the extent that those with
higher income and those in government are more corrupt than the hoippollois-
officers and men of the force, however, are part and parcel of the society. They
are equally extracted from the society and enlisted into the force. The dearth of
Barracks accommodation makes them to live in the same yard and proceed to
work from there. These police me^ with poor salaries as remunerations who
socially live below average are participant members of the society.
Consequently, they must be corrupt to maintain their balance. Since their
interaction with their operating environment exert some influence on their
concept and practice of discipline.
8. Lack of Coordination is another problem facing the' various internal
disciplinary mechanisms in the NPF. This is due to the fact that there are too
many of them. There is equally lack of interaction by both the personnel in
charge of the mechanisms and the information or statistics they generate. The
casual manner with which most complaints against the police are received and
treated and there is an absence of standardized method in the recording and
processing of data generated by the mechanism.
Because to lack of coordination and standardized data collation process in all the
mechanisms it becomes difficult to track down police officers with many
complaints trailing behind them. Consequently, pain-stakingly processed
disciplinary records of police personnel are hardly available or used in the
punishment and reward mechanisms in the force. This often results in the use
of whims and caprices by superior police officials in the case of reward in the
force.
9. One of the problems associated with the maintenance and enforcement of
discipline is lack of motivation, police officers and men are demoralized
bec~use their monthly take home salaries are not commensurate with their
risky profession. If fact police men in Nigeria are not paid at all. Lack of
Barrack accommodation, the use of both quota and political chauvinism in
promotion instead of basing it on merit andslength of service. Also important
that creates room for indiscipline is police management working against cadet
enlistment to ASP'S and Inspectorate cadre not based on statutory provision.
That is not in line with police Act Cap 154 of police Reg. 1968
10.There shall be proper psychological test to be conducted on officers about to
enlist into the force. This will assist in eliminating those with criminal traits
and deviant behaviours. Police training should be encouraged and undertaken
from time to time. Equally important is the fact that personnel involved in
investigation of disciplinary matters should be given adequate training in their
relevant fields.
5.3 RECOMMENDATION
In view of the importance of discipline maintenance and enforcement in the
NPF, the following recommendations are offered to assist in that regard. They
are:-
(i) Placement of Priority on Discipline
The leadership of the police in Nigeria needs to make police discipline a
national functional policing priority and it needs to start from top. In this regard,
the police hierarchy should see disciplinary system as a tool for achieving their
values, mission and vision. Disciplinary system can be used proactively to
promote a new culture and establish minimum standards for the police as a whole.
The system could then be used not only to set clear standards for the institution but
could also be used in a fair and consistent manner to remove those police members
who are undermining the transformation of the NPF.
(ii) Review of the Code of Conduct
There is urgent need for a review of the police code of conduct contained in
the police Act. Their review should seeks to reduce the rather lengthy code to size
that cotlld easily be memorized and internalized by police officers in Nigeria. As
an insider, it should underscore the service nature of police officers as well as
drawn inference from the more recent'guidelines on the conduct of police officers
on electoral duty in Nigeria. Towards this end, a committee should be set up with
members from the police service commission (PSC) and the Nigeria police force
to review the code.
72
(iii) The internal disciplinary mechanism that is multilayered and complex
should be reviewed and streamlined. For instance, there is nothing wrong with
merging the work of the police X squad and Human Rights units with the,police
public complaints Bureau (PCB) since these bodies deal with violation of human
rights.
All the whole monitoring units from IGP down to DPO's should be
abolished. They are ad hoc disciplinary mechanism dealing with police abuse such
as corruption and human rights violations. They create coordination problems and
breeds sublime indiscipline and ruthlessness. Instead, the conventional disciplinary
mechanisms should be used.
(iv) Information Management and Analysis
The issue of information management in the NPF needs to be re-examined
at all levels as an important factor in improving discipline and tracking officers
with unusually high number of complaints against them, especially at the area
command level. This is because the area commands are decentralized enough to
process a particular number of divisional police stations. Thus, the area
commanders should be tasked with monitoring and assessing disciplinary system
at each station. Assignments for each station could be based o the extent to which
the different categories of misconduct are occurring and whether or not
appropriate disciplinary steps are indeed being taken. If Area commanders are
tasked with such a responsibility, it would go a long way towards helping the state
commands and the Force headquarters to monitor the issue of discipline
accurately.
(v) *Establishment of PCB at Divisional Police Station Level
The police public complaints Bureau (PCB) should be established at
Divisional police station level to bring their activities closer to the grass root
communities where complaints against police misconduct is likely to be higher
given the low visibility of the actions of police personnel at the level of local and
rural communities. Such local branches of PCB should send weekly or monthly
reports of their activities to the state Headquarters of the body to enable
harmonization, analysis, and evaluation of their work with a view to identifying
and dealing with officers that are subjects of unusually high number of complaints.
(vi) Appointment of Disciplinary Officials
Similarly, every divisional police station should have a disciplinary official,
who should be in charge of PCB in their stations. Such officers should be
responsible for conducting investigations pertaining to disciplinary charges or
inquiries. He or she should also be responsible for conducting identification
parades, questioning witnesses, gathering evidence and compiling reports.
(vii) Improved Conditions of Service and Enhanced Welfare Package for all
Officers.
No member of the Nigeria police is satisfied with the condition of service.
At least from the ranks of chief superintendent of police up to police constable is
filly disciplined. Incontrovertibly, all SPOs within the category are not happy. No
junior ranked police officer is happy and perpetually disciplined. The implications
is that the erring officers are not happy and those to disciplined them are not
happy. The reasons behind all these are that the government have failed
vehemently to pay police well in Nigeria and better their conditions of service.
(viii) Adequate Funding of the Force
The government should fund the police adequately. Adequate funding will
enhance logistics for internal disciplinary mechanisms to develop and grow. In this
respect, the force on its own should not only act within the ambit of its enabling
laws but should also refrain from its' usual character of mismanaging available
funds and denial of members of their allowance and other incentives. The logistics
or finds provided for vehicle maintenance and fuelling should be used for the
purposes meant for. The culture or tradition of allowing police men on
surveillance and other similar preventive duties to create fund for the above
reasons should be stopped. Funds should also be made available to those officers
in the investigation department to procure materials essentially required by them
instead of relying on bail money and money extorted from both suspects and
complainants
(ix) Streamlining of Disciplinary Mechanisms: - The police leadership needs
to streamline the unusually high number of disciplinary mechanisms that presently
exist in the force, as they make their work not only ineffective through
unnecessary duplications but also create problems in tracking police personnel that
are processed through them. For instan'ce, there is nothing wrong with merging the
work of police X - squad and Human Rights Units with Public Complaints Bureau
since the three bodies are in processing cases of police misconduct and abuse of
human rights. Similarly, the tendency of successive IGP's to establish their own ad
hoc mechanism for dealing with police abuse such as corruption and human right
violation should be stopped as they create coordination problems and tend to
undermine existing mechanisms. Rather such extant mechanisms should be
assisted with resource and personnel to make them more effective.
(x) Police Management Performance
An issue directly linked to bolstering the effectiveness of the NPF's
disciplinary system is managerial expertise. Internationally, it is recognized that
managerial capacity is directly related to a police organization's ability to
implement its policies and strategies. In the words of noted management
academic, Militon .J. Esman (1991:20) "what most distinguishes advanced
societies and their governments is not their. availability of capital, nor the
rationality of public policies, but precisely the capacities of their institutions and
the skills of individuals, including those of government.
(xi) Recruitment Based on Adequate and Virtuous Man Power
The police must equally recruit adequate and virtuous manpower with
regards to other ranks, acquire m ~ d e r n and sufficient logistics and ensure
qualitative and regular training of personnel to argument the efforts of the
millennium officers in the transformation bid.
7 5
(xii) Promotion Exercise
Promotion should be as at when due. Cadet officers should be drawn form
within unless when they are not available in consonance with the police Act and
Regulation as quoted somewhere in this project.
- 6 rnnm
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abacarin, G. and Masannat, S. (1970) The Dynamics of modernization and social change, A Reader, California: Good year Publishing Company.
Alemika, E.E.O. (1988) "Policing a id Perceptions of Police in Nigeria" Police Studies.
Asemota, S.A (1993) "Policing under Civilian and Military Administrations, In T.N. Tamuno et a1 (eds) Policing Nigeria Part: Present and Future;Lagos Malthouse Press Limited.
Alemika, E.E.O. (1993) Colonialism, State and policing in ~ i ~ e r i a "Crime and Social Change: Lagos - Malthouse Press Limited.
Alemika E.E.O. (1999) Police Community Relations in Nigeria, what went Wrong? In Chukwuma and I, Ifowodo (eds) Policing a Democracy, Lagos: Centre for Law Enforcement Education.
Alemika, E. and Chukwuma, I. (2000) Police-Community Violence in Nigeria, Lagos: Centre for Law Enforcement Education
Bayley, D. (1985) Patterns of Policing, New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press.
Burke, R.H. (1998) Zero Tolerance Policing, and Leicester: Perpetuity Press
Chevigny, P. (1995), Edge of the Knife, Police Violence in the Americans, New York: The New Press.
Chukwuma, I. (1994) Above the Law, A Report on Torture and Extra-Judicial Killings by the Police in Nigeria, Lagos: Civil Liberties Organization.
Chukwuma I. (2001) Guarding the Guardian in Nigeria, Law Enforcement Review, June 200 1.
s
Chukwuman, I and Ibidapo-Obe (1995) Law enforcement and Human Rights in Nigeria, Lagos: Civil Liberties Organization.
Fufe, J.J. (1982), Readings on Police use of Deadly Force, Washington P.C; Police Foundation.
IFOWODO, 0. (1993) Annual Report on Human Rights in Nigeria, 1992, Lagos: Civil Liberties Organization
Miller, J.Bland, N. and Quinton, P. (2000) The Impact of Stops and searchers on Crime and the Community, London: Home Office.
Morgan, R. and Newburn T. (1997) The Future of Policing, Oxford: Clarendoon Press.
Newburn, T. (1 995) Crime and Criminal Justice Police, London: Longman
Newman, G. (2000) Transformation and the Internal Disciplinary System of the South African Police Service: Johannesburg: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation.
Nowrejee, B. (1992) The Nigeria Police force. A Culture of impunity, New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. .
Nwankwo, C. et a1 (1993), Human Rights practices in the Nigerian Police, Lagos: Constitutional Rights Project.
Obasi, I.C. (1999) Research Methodology in Political Science, Enugu: Academic Publishing Company Nigeria.
Onah, 0 . 0 . (2003) Human Resource' Management, Enugu: Fulladu Publishing Company.
Reiner, R. (1989) in R. Morgan and S. Smith, Coming to Terms with Policing, London: Rout ledge.
Sanders, A. and Young. R. (2002), Criminal Justice, London: Butterworths.
Stevens, M. and Beeker, S. (1994) Police Force. Police Services, London: Macmillan.
s
Ugochukwu, B. (1995) Liberty and Security of Persons with Particular Reference to Arrest, Interrogation and Police Detention in I. Chukwuma and A.
. Ibidapo-Obe. Law Enforcement and Human Rights, Lagos: Civil Liberties Organization.
UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS
3 Akinfenwa, S.O. (2002), How the Citizens can process complaints against the police. Paper presented at the police-community partnership workshop in Ibadan North East Local government council, Oyo state on July 23,2002.
Adoye, A. Y. (2000) Discipline in the Nigeria police force, an academic Degist presented at police staff college Jos, for members of ASP promotion Course, 1,2003.
Abdulkadir, M. B. (2003) Improved Training on Disciplinary Investigation. A Paper Delivered at Police Staff College Jos, 2005.
Chukwuma, I. (2001) Internal Disciplinary Systems as Important Complement To External Oversight of Police in Nigeria.
Members of Squad IA ASP Promotion Course I. (2003) can the Nigeria Police Rely on the Millennium Officers to Transform the force?
Ir*.l
Ehindero, S. (2000) investigation and discipline of force personnel by the Nigeria police force a public lecture delivered at PDC, Jos 2002. Positively in this new democratic dispensation; a paper submitted studies, the Nigeria police staff college, Jos. Dee 2003.
Members of squad one ASP promotion course I. (2003) the falling discipline in the Nigeria police force, the way forward: discuss: A paper presented to the Department of professional studies, police staff college Jos. 2003.
Nwogu, B.N. (2000) Quantitative Analysis and research Methods, An Academic digest for post graduate students. University of Calabar-Nigeria.
Okoro, C.I. (2002) How citizens can process complaints with the police community partnership workshop in Abak local government council of Akwa Ibom State in August 2002.
Ogbonna C. (2001) Handling of complaints the police community partnership workshop in Ahiazu Mbaise local government council, Imo state in November 200 1.
For the historical overviews, see an LLB long essay titled police role of crime prevention and control and the expectation of the citizenry submitted by Peter Obioma Obi faculty of law, university of Ado-Ekiti in June 2003.
NEWS PAPERS AND BULLETIN
1. Cap 3 59 LFN 1990
2. S. 40f Police Act Cap 35'9 LFN 1990
3. Former Minister for Police Affairs in on Interview with Sunday Vanguard In Abuja, reported on Page 16 of Police News Dasancda Vol. 1 No 2 act-See 2001.
4. Reported at Page 3 of the Punch Publication of Tuesday, April 23, 2002.
APPENDIX I.
University of Nigeria, Nsukka Department of Public Administration and Local Government loth July, 2007.
Dear Respondent,
I am a postgraduate student of university of Nigeria Nsukka. I am
conducting a research on "the problem of discipline maintenance and enforcement
in the Nigeria police force.
You have been chosen to participate in this study. I 'am most humbly
appealing to you to please complete the attached questionnaire and return same to
me before 1 ~ ' ~ day of July, 2007.
This is to enable me evaluate the data collected. Ale information provided
wiil be treated with confidence.
Thank you for your co-operation
Yours faithfully
Uzoma Obiaghangaya Cyriacns PSMSC-PHD/05/40183
APPENDIX I1
SECTION A
PART I
Please indicate by ticking "X" in the appropriate box.
(PERSONAL DATA)
(a) What is your name? [ ]
(b) What is your occupation? [ ]
(c) What is your Rank [ ]
(d) What is your address [ ]
(e) Are you still working or retired? [ ]
Educational Qualification:
(a) Post graduate [ ] (b) graduate [ ]
(c) Undergraduate [ ] (d) SSCE [ ] (e) FSLC
Sex
Length of service [ ] Religious Affiliation [ ]
SECTION B
PART I1
Are any or all these factors part of the problems of discipline maintenance
and enforcement in NPF?
Discipline not given priority attention [ ]
Absence of periodic review of the disciplinary system [ ]
Lack of budgethesource allocation to maintain internal disciplinary
system [ ]
None of the above [ ]
All ofthe above [ ]
2. Do you think that police internal disciplinary system is a mechanism that is
multilayered and cumbersome?
( 4 Yes [ I (b) No [ I
3. If Yes or No do you consider the existence of the following disciplinary
mechanisms.
(a) At Local Government level, and DCB, and DPO's monitoring unit. [ ]
(b) At state level CP's monitoring unit, provost, Dept. state CID. [ ]
(c) Zonal level zonal CIDIAIG's MU. [ ]
(d) IGP's MUIPolice Provost Depart [ ]
(e) FCID and X-squads [ ]
4. Do you think that discipline is adversely affected by?
(a) Poor remuneration [ ]
(b) Lack of enhanced welfare package [ ]
(c) Promotion not based on fnerit [ ]
(d) Promotion delayed and cadets not statutorily conducted [ ]
5. Do you consider the following as obnoxious practices that impede on
discipline maintenance and enforcements?
(a) Political favouritism/chauvinism [ ]
(b) Inordinate Relations between superiors and selected
Subordinates [ 1 (c) Poor postinglfaulty or training [ ]
(d) Deceptive love affairs [ ]
re) None ofthe above [ ]
(f) All ofthe above [ ]
6. Do you think that the operating environment of the Nigeria police force
7. If yes how does it impinge.on discipline maintenance and enforcement?
(a) Policemen and women recruited as corrupt officers [ ]
(b) Tendency to amass wealth is high [ 1 (c) Flagrant abuse of powers [ ]
(d) Heightens indiscipline [ ]
APPENDIX 111
POLICE REGULATIONS
Order under regulation 388 (1)
. In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by regulation 388 (1) 1..
.. superior police officer, hereby direct that ...... be taken before the ..... Court at..
To be dealt with according to provision of Regulation 388 (1) of he police
regulations, for an offence alleged to have committed by him at on
........ .19.. ......... Date.. ........................... .. ......
..................................... Superior Police officer
Approval
..................................... (Commissioner of Police)
Date at Police H.Q ........................ this ...........................................
Day Of ...................................... 19 .............................................
S.P.0s -
NPF -
C.P -
AIG -
IGP -
DPO -
CMU, UNN, -
PSC, JOS -
PSC -
PCB -
MU -
APPENDIX IV
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Superior police officer.
Nigeria Police Force
Commissioner of Police
Assistant Inspector General of Police
Inspector General of Police
Divisional Police Officer.
Campus Monitory Unit University of NIGERIA Nsukka.
Police Staff College Jos.
Police Service Commission.
Public complaints Bureau. .
Monitoring Unit