By Abraham Ogbodo
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It is not the type of story one hears every time about the Nigerian police. To command a consensus of positive testimonies among upscale stakeholders on any aspect of the police institution is a big deal. The public perception negates the lofty aspiration of men and officers of the force to remain friends of society. Thus, in the engagement, to act in faith and embrace with both hands, the friendship that the police promise, is not advisable. The natural instinct is to establish a distance and actually make the police an enemy until the contrary is proven. And that is because the issues in policing in Nigeria could be very complex. The professional aggression is hardly properly placed on criminals. Criminals and the innocents are equally exposed with even the latter attracting higher probability.
It is not easily known when the policeman is acting in line of statutory duties or just creating scenarios to simulate serious duties. You cannot probe for the truth because every policemen claims to know his work. He does not like to be corrected on basic professional ethics. For instance, bail is free at any police station until you get personally involved to test the validity of that statement. Other times, the complainant supplants the state in funding investigation and prosecution including paying for the sheet of paper on which his or her statement is written. Going for arrest of suspects involves men and machines that have to be properly oiled for smooth operations. The take-off point of the criminal Justice system could be cumbersome with the police. Sometimes, justice is cheated when the complainant is less able to follow through with the forth and back process. He simply capitulates and bears the arising pains with philosophical calmness.
In all of this, the impression that gets to the observing public is that the uniform and gun are transcendental pieces of shield and nothing outside of them offers better wisdom in criminal justice at the level of police participation. Even when matters are obvious in the wrong direction, he or she that is concerned still manages to nod in approval to maintain peace with a law enforcement agency that is inexplicably on the offensive against civil liberties. The police institution wittingly or unwittingly tells the rest of society that it is not duty bound to offer the much it does. This, at once, places a responsibility on every stakeholder to assist the police to do their work.
Yet assistance to the police could come as a highly loaded content. It is also difficult to ascertain where to start. Like other security agencies, the police is created to assist others but not itself. Policemen and women are civil servants quite alright. But they are forbidden by their rules of engagement to act as other workers. They cannot openly complain amid excruciating pains. Their brief is to ensure security of life and property at all times and even amid daunting constraints. They cannot unionise to press for better conditions of service as other civil servants. They rely on others to plead and promote their case even when they perform excellently. This is part of the purpose of today’s outing.
Overall, the average police officer suffers multi-dimensional abuse. He is preceded by a negative societal perception that challenges his best efforts. In reputation, he is beneath ground level. To cut any favourable impression therefore, he has to overdrive to recover from the deficit first, before building on a level-playing ground. The sportsman or woman comes before him in ranking. Real and pseudo entrepreneurs posture as his masters. He protects thieving politicians and their loot yet he hardly gathers enough legitimately to meet his basic needs. Any street urchin who rides on the perennial fault lines to become a council chairman automatically becomes his boss.
As chairman, he is the chief security officer of the council area with whom all Divisional Police Officers within the council area must consult to maintain peace and order. While the picture may appear a lot attractive at the strategic level, at the rank and file or tactical level, matters are even more complicated. The policeman on stop-and-search duty at road blocks is compelled by the overarching existential factors to advertise all the institutional fault lines of the Nigerian police – corruption, unprofessionalism, untidiness, brutality, etc.
All of these considered, a cop who does not only meet but burst the expectations of the public is indeed a rare breed that deserves his flowers. And that was the message last week Thursday when Assistant Commission of Police (ACP) Aliyu Shaba stood tall among Senior Advocates of Nigeria in Ekpan, Delta State. The body of SANs got convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that ACP Aliyu Shaba has been exceptional in the business of policing. The learned silks set up a dinner at BON Hotel Ekpan to honour the police officer. If the organisers had been less in stature, there could have been interpretations of patronage and other biases.
But here were the best in legal practice in the Warri jurisdiction. Chief Thompson Okpoko (SAN) who rallied others to honour ACP Shaba was a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He was also chairman of the Body of Benchers. He is a Life Bencher. The grand old man sat unshaken with the confidence of a principality. He is a fortress against whom opposition dissipates fruitlessly. He is a proud member of the innermost caucus that dictates the direction of our jurisprudence. To his right and left were arrays of judicial and legal heavyweights. The nearest to the evening composition would be when a presidential election petition is about to be determined at the Supreme Court.
From the Bench sat, Honourable Justices T.O Uloho, R. Harriman, N. Obi, J. Egwu, G. Umuko and S. Adolor. From the Bar, appeared, six other Senior Advocates of Nigeria namely, Chief E.L Akpofure, Chief Augustine Alegeh, Charles Ajuya, Ama Etuwewe, Ayo Asala, Kunle Edun and a SAN-designate, Sir Victor Akpoguma. Serving and past chairmen of the branches of the Nigeria Bar Association in Warri, Effurun and Udu were in attendance. The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Sir Olufemi Abaniwonda was on hand to support a worthy officer of the Delta State Police command. The Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Effurun, Major Salman was in attendance. It was a complete composition of all the stakeholders in criminal justice in the Warri jurisdiction.
Aliyu Shaba was strongly recommended by his career trajectory. On the 5th of this month, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun had deployed the police jet to bring Shaba to Force Headquarters, Abuja for the award of the Police Officer of the Year 2023. Aliyu Shaba who went to Abuja as Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) returned as Assistant Commissioner of Police. He was decorated with his new rank by the IG of Police himself. His promotion was back dated to December 31, 2023. Shaba had shared the glorious moment with Superintendent of Police (SP) Sentome Obi who bagged the Police Officer of the Year 2024 and promoted to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) with effect from December 31, 2024. He is from the Bayelsa State Police Command.
The statement by IG Egbetokun announcing the awards and promotions did more to explain the context. It read in part: “These are not promotions. They are public endorsements of excellence. A national salute to officers who, despite the odds, chose the path of integrity, went the extra mile, and reminded us all what true service looks like… This is what institutional pride looks like. This is how trust is built from within.”
At the SANs dinner in honour of Shaba, the details of his service were even more telling. Mr. Charles Ajuya (SAN) who earned the brief to read the Shaba’s citation on behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), Warri, said: “Today, we gather not only to celebrate achievement but to affirm a timeless truth – that honour is the reward of virtue, and service when rendered with integrity and courage, leaves a fragrance sweeter than victory itself.’’ He explained what sounded like a compact verse in a flowing prose: “He (Shaba) has fought kidnappers and disarmed robbers; he has intercepted cultist and retrieved arms caches; he has exposed the underworld of ritual murderes, and restored dignity to grieving families. Each assignment, each raid, each sleepless night in pursuit of justice, is a stanza in the long poem of service…If policing were a theatre, ACP Shaba would be both actor and director – sometimes playing the quiet strategist, at other times the bold commander, but always the man who ensures the curtain falls with justice taking the final bow.’’
This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is a prima facie case. The evidence before their lordships and the learned silks does not require corroboration because there are no counter-motions. On Shaba, the Bench and Bar in the Warri judicial area agree that the facts speak for themselves – res ipsa loquitur.
Meanwhile, ACP Aliyu Shaba created most of his content while serving as the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Ekpan Police Divison under the Warri Area Command of the Delta State Police Command. He has a street reputation in Ekpan. He is known as “the man who calmed Ekpan.” Ekpan is in Uvwie Kingdom. The story was that all residents except the bad guys were impressed by the deeds of Shaba. When he was invited to Abuja for the IGP award, respected chiefs in the kingdom had gone to wait at the Osubi Airport to welcome him back to the kingdom. He has worked himself into a utility officer that is good for special tasks. He is through with EKpan and has shifted to the Police Area Command, Ughelli as the Area Commander. He is a hot bride. Ekpan people want him back. Ughelli people are saying no!
Aliyu Shaba was born on February 3, 1976 in Agaie, Niger State. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and a Master’s in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was commissioned into the Nigeria Police Force in 2005 as cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
