Trends and Patterns of Police Professional Misconduct in Nigeria: Analyses of Newspaper Reportage (2008-2018)
Abstract
Professional misconduct involving police officers has consistently put the Nigeria Police Force in a bad light and negatively impacts the public image of the law enforcement agency. In view of this, this study investigated incidents of police professional misconduct recorded in Nigeria between 2008 and 2018. Differential association theory and situational choice theory were employed as conceptual framework. Data were strategically elicited through content analysis of the online versions of three purposively selected first generation national newspapers in Nigeria. The results revealed that 137 cases of police professional misconduct were captured within the timeline. The highest percentage (32%) of the cases was reported in 2017 with Lagos State alone accounting for 29.9%. Furthermore, the involvement of police personnel in unethical behaviour was generally high in the last four months of every year. Extra-judicial killing (36.5%) was the most commonly reported type of police professional misconduct.
Metrics
References
Adebowale, S. (2013, November 16). Anambra poll: SSS blocks El-Rufai from leaving hotel, APC alleges bias. Eagle Online. Retrieved from https://theeagleonline.com.ng/anambra-poll-sss-blocks-el-rufai-from-leaving-hotel-apc-alleges-bias/
Adejoro, L. (2023, April 22). Police dismiss 18 officers in three months. Punch.
Adesomoju, A. (2017, March 9). Apo six: Court sentences two ex-policemen to death. The Punch. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/breaking-court-sentences-two-police- officers-to-death-over-apo-six-killings/
Agbiboa, D. (2015). Policing is not work: It is stealing by force: Corrupt policing and related abuses in everyday Nigeria. Africa Today, 62(0), 94-126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2979/africatoday.62.2.95
Akinlabi, O. (2017a). Young people, procedural justice and police legitimacy in Nigeria. Policing and Society, 27(4): 419-438. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2015.1077836
Akinlabi, O. (2017b) Do the police really protect and serve the public? Police deviance and public cynicism towards the law in Nigeria. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 17(2), 158-174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895816659906
Alemika, E. E. O. (2010). History, context and crises of the police in Nigeria: Repositioningthe Nigeria Police to meet the challenges of policing a democratic society in the twenty-first century and beyond. Paper presented at the biennial retreat of the Nigeria Police Service Commission. Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria.
Aremu, A., Francis, P., & Les, J. (2011) The moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the reduction of corruption in the Nigerian police. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 12(3), 195-208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2010.536724
Banjo, T. (2015, March 7). The true story of one of Nigeria’s most notorious armed robbers, Lawrence Anini”. Nigerian Monitor. Retrieved from: http://www.nigerianmonitor.com/photos-the-true-story-of-one-of-nigerias-notorious-armed-robbers-lawrence-anini/
Bayley, D. (2002). Law enforcement and the rule of law: Is there a tradeoff? Criminology & Public Policy, 2(1), 133-154. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2002.tb00113.x
Brown S., Finn-Aaage, E., & Gilbert, G. (2010). Criminology: Explaining crime and its context. New Jersey: Mathew Bender & Company, Inc.
Chappell, A., & Piquero, A. (2004). Applying social learning theory to police misconduct. Deviant Behavior, 25(2), 89-108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01639620490251642
Collins, A. (1998). Shielded from justice: Police brutality and accountability in the United States. New York: Human Rights Watch.
Cornish, D. B., & Clarke, R. V. (1987). Understanding crime displacement: An application of rational choice theory. Criminology, 25(4), 933-948. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1987.tb00826.x
Donner, C., & Jennings, W. (2014). Low self-control and police deviance: Applying Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory to officer misconduct. Police Quarterly, 17(3), 203-225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611114535217
Fishman, J. (1978). Measuring police corruption. New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Center.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). (1999). Police integrity: Securing and maintaining public confidence. London: Home Office.
Hills, A. (2008). The dialectic of police reform in Nigeria. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 46(2), 215-234. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X08003200
Human Rights Watch. (2010). Everyone’s in on the game. Human Rights Watch.
Igbinovia, P. (1985). Police misconduct in Nigeria. Police Study: International Review of Police Development, 8, 111-122.
International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2011). Addressing sexual offenses and misconduct by law enforcement: Executive guide. Alexandria, VA: International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Klockars, C., Kutnjak, S., & Haberfield, M. (2006). Enhancing police integrity. New York: Springer.
Lynch, G. W., & Diamond, E. (1983). Police misconduct. In: S. H. Kadish (Ed)., Encyclopaedia of crime and justice (pp.1160-1166). New York, NY: The Free Press.
MacPherson, C. (1999). The Stephen Lawrence inquiry. London: Stationery Office.
. Marenin, O. (1987). The Anini saga: Armed robbery and the reproduction of ideology in Nigeria. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 25(2): 259-281. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X00000380
Marenin, O., & Reisig, M. (1995). A general theory of crime and patterns of crime in Nigeria: An exploration of methodological assumptions. Journal of Criminal Justice 23(6): 501-508. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2352(95)00042-9
Mastrofski, S. (2004). Controlling street-level police discretion. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 593, 100–118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203262584
Melossi, D., & Pavarini, M. (1981). The prison and the factory: Origins of the system. Basingstoke: Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27927-2
Moran, J. (2005). ‘Blue walls’, ‘grey walls’ and ‘cleanups’: Issues in the control of police corruption in England and Wales. Crime Law and Social Change, 43, 57-79.
Michelle, L. (1998). Police misconduct and malpractice: A critical analysis of citizens’ complaints. Policing 21, 80–94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13639519810206619
Michelle, L., & Mieczkowski, T. (2000). An examination of the convergence and divergence of internal and external allegations of misconduct filed against police officers. Policing 23, 54–68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13639510010314616
Moran, J. (2005). ‘Blue walls’, ‘grey walls’ and ‘cleanups’: Issues in the control of police corruption in England and Wales. Crime Law and Social Change 43, 57-79. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-005-3003-1
Murray, A. J., and Topalli, V., 2014. Delinquency and drift theory. In M. Miller (Ed.), The encyclopaedia of theoretical criminology (pp. 244-267). Australia: John Wiley & Sons. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc228
Network on Police Reform (NOPRIN). (2010). Criminal force: Torture, abuse, and extrajudicial killings by the Nigeria Police Force. Open Society Justice Initiative.
Obioha, E. (2002). Punishment in society. In U. C. Isiugo-Abanihe, A. N. Isamah, & J. O. Adesina (Eds.), Currents and Perspectives in Sociology (pp. 367-379). Lagos: Malthouse Press Limited.
Ogundipe, S. (2018, June 10). #EndSARS: Nigerians resume campaign to shut down brutal police squad. Premium Times. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/271802-endsars-nigerians-resume-campaign-to-shutdown-brutal-police-squad.html%3famp_markup=1
Ojedokun, O. (2010). Effort-reward imbalance and attitude towards unethical work behavior among police personnel: Emotional intelligence as a moderator.” Ife PsychologIA 18(1), 137-155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ifep.v18i1.51658
Ojedokun, U. A., & Adeyanju, O. E. (2019). Sociocultural determinants of policewomen-taxi drivers’ interactions on the major highways in Ibadan, Nigeria. Women & Criminal Justice, 29, 87-97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2018.1505581
Ojedokun U. A., Ogunleye, Y. O., & Aderinto, A. A. (2021). Mass mobilization for police accountability: The case of #EndSARS protest. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice 15(3): 1894-1903. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paab001
Ojedokun, U. A., & Badmus, T. M. (2022). Knowledge and willingness of University of Ibadan graduate students regarding seeking redress against police misconduct in Nigeria. Afrika Focus 35(1), 66-89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/2031356X-35010005
Olawoyin, O. (2018, April 10). Bribe-seeking SARS officers force Nigerian writer to hide in bank toilet. Premium Times, April 10. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/264515-bribe-seeking-sars-officers-force-nigeria-writer-to-hide-in-bank toilet.html%3famp_markup=1
Oluwaniyi, O. (2011). Police and the institution of corruption in Nigeria. Policing & Society, 21(1), 67-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2010.541245
Onyekwena, C. (2018, July 14). Police brutality: Will more artistes take a stand with Ruggedman and Vector? The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/amp/s/guardian.ng/life/music/police-brutality--will-more-artistes-take-a-stand-with-ruggedman-and-vector/amp
Onyeozili, E. (2005). Obstacles to effective policing in Nigeria. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies, 1(1), 32-54.
Onyume. J. (2013, June 16) Alleged police harassment of supporters worries Amaechi. Vanguard. Retrieved from: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/alleged-police-harassment-of-supporters-worries-amaechi/
Pino, N., & Johnson, M. (2011). Police deviance and community relations in Trinidad and Tobago. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 34(3), 454-478. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13639511111157519
Porter, L., & Warrender, C. (2009). A multivariate model of police deviance: Examining the nature of corruption, crime and misconduct. Policing and Society 19(1): 79-99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439460802457719
Prenzler, T., & Lewis, C. (2005). Performance indicators for police oversight. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 64(2), 77-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8500.2005.00443.x
Punch, M. (2003). Rotten orchards: ‘pestilence’, police misconduct and system failure. Policing and Society, 13(2), 171–196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439460308026
Punch, M. (2009). Police corruption: Preventing misconduct and maintaining integrity. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
Reiss, A. (1971). The police and the public. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Rowe, M. (2009). Notes on a scandal: The official enquiry into deviance and corruption in New Zealand police. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 42(1), 123-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1375/acri.42.1.123
Sahara Reporters. (2022, October 4). Nigeria Police Service Commission sacks 7 policemen, demotes 10 over gross misconduct. Sahara Reporters,
Siegel, L. (2012). Criminology: theories, patterns and typologies. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Skolnick, J., & Fyfe, J. (1993). Above the law: Police and the excessive use of force. New York, NY: Free Press.
Son, S., & Rome, D. (2004). The prevalence and visibility of police misconduct: A survey of citizens and police officers. Justice Quarterly 7(2), 179–204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611102250705
Stinson, M., Liederbach, J., Lab, S. P., & Brewer, S. (2016). Police integrity lost: A study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested. US Department of Justice.
Tamuno, T. (1970). The police in modern Nigeria, 1861-1965. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
The Cable (2019, April 9). Nine senior police officers sacked over ‘misconduct’. The Cable,
The Punch. (2018, December 30). Three Lagos policemen dismissed for robbing businessman. The Punch. Retrieved from: https://punchng.com/three-policemen- dismissed-for-robbing-businessman/
Udosen, A. M., Etiuma, A. U., Ugare, G. A., & Bassey, O. O. (2006). Gunshot injuries in Calabar, Nigeria: An indication of increasing societal violence and police brutality. African Health Sciences, 6(3), 170-172.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2006). The integrity and accountability of the police: Criminal justice assessment toolkit. United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna International Center, Vienna, Austria.
Vold, G., & Bernard, T. (1986). Theoretical criminology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Williams F and McShane M (1999) Criminological theory. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Yeadon, K. (2006). Catching up on corruption in New South Wales. Proceedings of the 2nd national conference of parliamentary oversight committee of anti-corruption/crimebodies, 22-23 February, 2006. Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales 13-28.
