WHEN ‘NO’ IS A WEAPON FOR YOUR OWN GOOD
Just a few weeks ago, we woke up to the viral video of two Nigerian military men, men who are charged with protecting our national interest and national borders from external coercion and intrusion, mercilessly beating a crippled man because he was putting on a Nigerian military camouflage. There have been numerous cases of the army, police and other paramilitary officers harassing, torturing, embarrassing and, to a vicious extent, killing poor and innocent civilians. Civilians they are charged with protecting, the irony of life.
I have always heard people narrate their harrowing experiences at the hands of antagonistic uniforms, who use the weight of their positions to harass them. These incidents have become a norm in our country, as part of our everyday living as fuel scarcity and increased market prices.
And one day, just a few days ago, I had my own story to tell.
I was on my way back to school from Asaba (my school is in Igbariam, Anambra State). Because of bulky luggage, I chartered a keke to drop me off at the park in Asaba, where I would board a bus going to Onitsha. I had about three bags bursting with my school things.
We were still in the vicinity of my house, just about two minutes into the journey, when an officer of the Special Armed Robbery Squad (SARS) stopped my keke at their checkpoint. The man, a red-eyed, skinny man with a gawkish face, who looked more like a newly castrated bull than anything paramilitary, told me he wanted to search my items. He started with my school bag; he opened the biggest zipper, brought out my neatly arranged shoes and scattered them on the floor of the vehicle. Then he pulled open the smallest zipper, where I had my toothbrush and other body kits, and rifled through the lot.
He was going to hold my toothbrush by the bristles when I gently admonished, “Oga, take it easy. You don’t hold someone’s toothbrush by the bristles. It’s unhygienic.”
In that instant, his countenance changed. He became hostile and ordered me to carry my entire luggage down from the keke, all the while hissing at me, “Na me you dey speak grammar for, abi?”
I paid him no mind as I alighted hefted my things down from the keke. He proceeded to pour out the content of my mini traveling bag on the dusty, tarred ground. I tried to control my rage as I watched my white shorts and T-shirts drop to the dusty road. He simply poured out everything to the ground, and when he was done, he went on to the Ghana-must-go, which contained my provisions and cooking condiments. To this, he did the same thing, spilling every single thing in the bag on the ground – these items that I would use to prepare my food.
When he was through, he stood aside and stupidly watched as I packed in everything he displaced, from my shoes to my toothbrush and bathing sponge to my clothes and provisions. I diligently packed everything back into my bags, all the while hoping the harassment would end there.
When I was through, the next thing I heard was, “Bros, oya follow me make we go our car!”
I was instantly petrified. I can’t even begin to explain the feelings that coursed through me in that moment. I thought to myself: Haven’t you done your worst already?
I followed him, crossing to the other side of the road where the SARS official vehicle was parked; behind the driver’s wheel was seated another man whose complexion could be better described as a splash of colour on a palette than an actual skin colour. My harasser moved to the back of the van and sat down on the metal convertible. He looked at me, smiled and said, “Oya, give me your phone.”
I had two phones on me, my android and my Nokia torch. I looked at him quizzically, to be sure I’d heard him correctly. He saw my expression, stood up and repeated what he said, this time with a voice that was coloured with his annoyance.
My heart was starting to beat faster as I felt my defiance take purchase of my mind. I shook my head at him and told him without any flinch – in pidgin, just so he could get the message: “Oga I no go try am. Even if craze jam me, e no jam me reach like that.”
He reared back, clearly nonplussed by my response. Then he snarled something in a dialect I didn’t know and lunged at me. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and started pulling at me, ripping my shirt in the process. He was spitting his anger at me, repeatedly demanding for my phone.
I stood my ground and told him, “Oga, you have no right to search my phone. It is ethically, morally and legally wrong. You just can’t. I won’t let you have my phone.” My face was hot and my heartbeat was thudding hard behind my chest. I could taste bile in my mouth, and my temperature was rising.
The man started laughing. He looked at me, that look that people give you when they feel you are being stupid, and then he said, “Na me you dey speak English for? For your information, I am a graduate myself. So don’t play that game with me.”
I watched him as he spoke, my disdain for him heavy on my face. Graduate indeed! I wondered what had brought about being a graduate into this matter. If his English could be personified, it would be the trinity of an illiterate Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo man. Such nuisance for a self-proclaimed graduate! I had never felt as much rancor for a human being as I felt for this man.
He started yelling that I was a kidnapper, that I have something to hide, that that was the reason I was insistent that he wouldn’t have my phone.
Me – a kidnapper! If the situation wasn’t so serious, I’d have laughed in his face. Instead, I asked, “Please oh, what are the criteria for knowing who a kidnapper is?” I was puzzled. I never knew they taught optical forensic psychology that helps the detection of kidnappers at sight in the law enforcement academy. I just stood there, looking at the man as he kept on saying I was a kidnapper. In my mind, I was like: see this mumu, you call yourself a graduate, what a pity.
I should also point out that I’d repeatedly told this man I was a student, and he never asked me to present an ID. He was just hell-bent on tagging me a kidnapper. We brawled for some minutes, before the oddly-complexioned man in the driver’s seat of the vehicle hollered for us to come around to him. We moved to obey. He seemed like the captain. He asked me what the problem was and I narrated the entire episode to him, up to the phone mishap. He listened with a patience I thought made him human. His interjections during my narration were calm and level-headed and I sensed an ally. I was actually starting to like him.
That benevolent feeling vanished when he said softly, “Oga, just submit the phone. It is part of the process.”
What process? Process my ass, I thought. You people are going to enter menopause today if you are waiting for this phone.
We started arguing and I started unleashing every verbal arsenal I could think of. At a point, I was surprised at how anglicized I was becoming. I started quoting constitutional clauses and passages; my Law 342 classes weren’t for waste. We argued for about forty minutes; this included me being pushed severally, being repeatedly hit on the back, and at one time knocked on the head.
Eventually, the captain said to the other man, “Abeg, leave this one make him go. Him don too read.”
The other man shoved me as I moved to the spot where I’d dropped my luggage. I proceeded to check and recheck my bags, to make sure nothing was missing and nothing illegal had been slipped in when I wasn’t aware (you can never be too sure with these pigs). I looked at their faces to memorize the ugly features, and searched for their name tags, but found none. They were just clad in dirty, faded T-shirts.
As I returned to the keke driver, who’d been waiting patiently for my ordeal to be over, I was really upset. Angry. Emotional. Shaken. As I clutched my phone and boarded the keke, I told the driver to take me back home. I was too upset to travel. As he wheeled around and drove off, I blinked and tears began to course down my face. I had never felt this vulnerable and helpless in my life before, in spite of the bravado I put up. I knew then that the bullying and intimidation by men of the force over innocent civilians was real. And it will remain so, a cankerworm eating steadily away at our rights as human beings and denizens of this country, unless we learn to come against them.
We should never be in a haste whenever we get to a checkpoint; show them you have as much time to stand up to them as they obviously have to waste. We should never bribe these men even when we know we are right and they are wrong. We should never be timid or flinch in the face of these harassments. And above all, we should all know our rights – where it starts and where it ends. Knowledge is power. Know what to do and more often than not, you come out on top.
Written by Hilanzok
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21 Comments
Mike Daemon
February 21, 06:45Inspiring. Your courage is admired.
Lorde
February 21, 06:52Wow! This is soo awful. I’m so sorry about your ordeal, it’s about time we start reading up on our human rights and basic laws that prohibit this kind of harassment…see how the “captain” left you cos “Him don too read”, they kne we are not too conversant with our rights, they don’t even teach them in schools. it’s just up to us to know them ad defend ourselves before these goons
ambivalentone
February 21, 08:08I laughed at the optical forensics part. The level of stupidity is alarming. Reading these stories make me wish sometimes to av my brush with these idiots and hope to be as brave as u av bin, but I av learnt to be careful what I wish for.
Ehen. Pinky, is something the matter? You av bin churning out posts everyday since sunday. I’ve got chicken soup if its a fever o
Mandy
February 21, 09:14???? Don’t jinx it, ambi
Mandy
February 21, 09:16The sooner we as a nation stand understanding our rights and standing up for them no matter what, the sooner these corrupt policemen will start realizing that this intimidation has got to stop.
I admire your courage, hilanzok.
Beht tell me, brutha, shey plenty incriminating evidence dey the phone. 😀 *shifting closer*
Delle
February 21, 09:52Lol Mandy, who doesn’t. Personally, I am done deleting pictures in my gallery. My whatsapp groups have sworn not to let my gallery rest and now, I’m not bothered.
They should come and see what they have been too chicken to admit they love. ????
Delle
February 21, 09:47Wow! Just wow. Well, I’m sure you may probably not believe this but Hilanzok dear, you are brave and your courage is admirable.
What’s wrong with these bonobos on faded uniforms? I don’t think I would have taken it likely the minute my white undies was turned over on the floor. What rubbish! The only problem with these idiots is that just the same way they can harass someone for not just cause, they can as well pull the trigger for lesser.
God help us.
Khalessi
February 21, 10:26@Hilanzok, i truly admire your bravery, this is one reason i abhor going to the East outside the festive season, the policemen in that part of the country seem to be possessed by demons of greed, impunity and unfathomable stupidity.Am afraid i’ll get shot because I wont tolerate such crap from anyone honestly; I know my rights and I wont let you trample on them and I might in the process physically assault you, gun or no gun … that said, the Police Complaints Response Unit has an active Facebook and Twitter account, let’s try to report and document these things whenever they occur, also there’s an awesome group on Facebook – Due Process Advocates; those guys are awesome, check them out, register with N6k and whenever you have such run-ins with the law, they do amazing work, I’ve seen instances where the DPA has harassed the top police management until they investigate and take strong action against these deviant men in uniform … Please try to know your rights, these evil officers act as they do because too many Nigerians are ignorant and scared; they have NO right to search your mobile phones/laptops without a valid warrant, they can search your belongings tho … also, quit looking vulnerable and scared, they are bullies who wilt at the first sign of resistance and superior knowledge …
Mitch
February 21, 10:32What is it with the Nigerian military/paramilitary and constantly harassing innocent citizens? I’ve said it before: Frigging have human rights activists on your contact list. When issues like this come up, place a call to them. It’d also help if you know a high ranking officer in the military. That way you’d be safe from this idiotic harassment.
simba
February 21, 11:48Oh Sorry dear
They were so unfortunate to stop me someday, so unfortunate cus i had my mum in the car.. like gestapo they surrounded the car with guns,screaming tinted permit.. well My Mum, taught them that u dont shout or harrass people especially when ur not on uniform or ur name tag very visible.
ambivalentone
February 21, 16:12hian!!! I’d love a blow-by-blow gist of what happened jare. My father prefers I grin like a crazy cat when they gather round. My face is ALWAYS the first thing he hounds me on when we come across them. It becomes strong enough to break walls
Omiete
February 21, 13:25This brutality is annoying, they are just only doing this to passerby’s. If you were in a private car, I bet you that the highest they would do is open your boot and ask for papers. But if its a public bus or keke everyone would come down and be thoroughly searched. If the real kidnappers and armed robbers come they would run away claiming they aren’t paid enough.
Mandy
February 21, 15:41Exactly! The cowards.
Francis
February 21, 15:37Sorry man. Body just dey do me one kain as I dey read this. May this never be my portion IJN ???
Gad
February 22, 06:47Its a pity how some men on uniform are carrying on. It still beats my imagination that this acts goes on despite the fact that these men are taught during trainings to handle members of the public with civility, respect and dignity. So what went wrong and at what point? The truth is that the military and police are part of the society and therefore is a reflection of the society in which they exist, though this is not an excuse because these men are trained and paid to be above board and show good examples at all times. Finally, I believe that if citizens start holding the military/paramilitary accountable to their actions, we will experience some change no matter how little. But our mentality as a people must change. ALL OF US. YES, ME, U, EVERYBODY.
Tiercel de Claron
February 22, 13:24Gad?
Sancta Dei Genetrix!
Where have you been this while?.
Welcome back.
Gad
February 22, 15:09Thanks bro. I went on sabatical. Glad to be back again. Thanks to Andrevin and all who has been in constant touch during my absence.
Z
February 22, 17:45Gad!!! Wow
Pankar
February 22, 15:31When Im wrong with the law, I patronize these men of ‘neccessary’ evil. When I’m on my right, I slug it out with them. Know your rights and insist on them. Next time, in a bid not to be a victim twice, insist on gently removing your neatly folded clothes and item by your self while he msy sniff through. Dont allow him do it with his dirty brain
I like the info on the Due Process Advocates
Dennis Macaulay
February 23, 06:38I have a very horrible SARS story from Portharcourt.
Saint C
February 23, 10:39I’m so proud right now for some reason! Thank you for standing up to them.