*Hails IGP For Swift Response
By Chuks Eke
A human rights lawyer, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor Esq. has stated that the continued normalisation of extra-judicial killings in Nigeria is not merely a security failure but a moral catastrophe.
He therefore noted that it is long overdue, for decisive actions such as transparent investigations, public accountability, rule of law, institutional reforms and a zero-tolerance stance against unlawful use of force, insisting that anything less would be a negligence dressed in official uniform.
In a press statement titled: “Guardians or Executioners? A Republic on Edge as Extra-Judicial Killings Erode the Sanctity of Life in Nigeria”, Ejiofor stated that there is a peculiar tragedy in nations where those constitutionally ordained to protect life appear, with chilling regularity, to preside over its abrupt and unlawful extinguishment.
Exclaiming that Nigeria, regrettably, continues to flirt dangerously with this contradiction, Ejiofor declared: “we begin in Efurun, Delta State, where yet another distressing video, widely circulated by activist Harrison Gwamnishi, captures what can only be described as a brazen extra-judicial execution by a trigger-happy police officer”.
According to him, “The imagery is not merely disturbing; it is civilisationally indicting. One is left to wonder, has human life become so cheap that its preservation is now a matter of administrative discretion rather than a constitutional imperative?”
“It is, however, only fair to acknowledge the prompt and commendable intervention of the Inspector-General of Police-Tunji Rilwan Disu , whose swift response signals a measure of institutional responsibility”.
“The pattern emerging from the Delta State Police Command is deeply troubling. Only weeks ago, armed officers, acting in furtherance of private interests linked to land-grabbing syndicates in Asaba, brutally engaged in a reckless armed confrontation with operatives from the IRT Force Headquarters. A civilian indigene of Okpanam was reportedly shot and remains bedridden”.
“The offending officer, in a rather theatrical display of guilt, fled the scene and remains at large. His service weapon, mercifully recovered by the officers from Force headquarters, now sits as mute evidence of a system in dire need of moral and operational recalibration”.
“One must ask, with restrained sarcasm: are firearms now ceremonial accessories issued to officers for intimidation, or instruments to be deployed strictly within the confines of law and engagement protocols?”
“Even more sobering is the alleged killing of a National Youth Service Corps, NYSC member in Wuse II, Abuja, a development that has sent ripples of outrage across the Federal Capital Territory. Eyewitness accounts and circulating reports indicate that the young corps member was fatally shot by personnel believed to be from the Nigerian Army. The tragedy is compounded not merely by the loss of a promising young Nigerian, but by the institutional reflex that followed: denial”.
“Rather than immediate transparency, accountability, and empathy, what the public has been served is a familiar cocktail of evasion and bureaucratic opacity. For clarity, the NYSC was established to foster unity, discipline, and national integration. That a participant in this noble scheme could meet such a fate at the hands of those sworn to defend the nation raises grave constitutional and moral questions”.
“One is compelled to ask: when the defenders of the realm become the arbiters of life and death without recourse to law, what then distinguishes a democracy from organised anarchy? It would be intellectually dishonest to ignore the broader systemic malaise”.
“Reports of a paltry daily allowance, reportedly in the region of N3,000 for soldiers, raise legitimate concerns about morale, welfare, and operational discipline. While poor welfare does not excuse unlawful killings, it undoubtedly contributes to a volatile environment where frustration, poor training, and lack of oversight can culminate in tragic outcomes”.
“The Honourable Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa Rtd, alongside the Chief of Defence Staff, must confront an uncomfortable truth: a poorly motivated force, lacking accountability, is a danger not only to itself but to the very citizens it is meant to protect”.
“And to the Federal Government under Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the message is clear: security sector reform is no longer optional; it is existential. Extra-judicial killings do not merely extinguish lives; they corrode institutions, embolden impunity, and normalise lawlessness. Each unpunished act sends a silent but powerful message: that the rule of law is negotiable, and that power, when armed, need not be accountable”.
“History teaches us, often too late, that societies which tolerate such patterns inevitably descend into cycles of violence and distrust. From Latin America’s “dirty wars” to certain post-conflict African states, the lesson is consistent: where security forces operate without restraint, the state itself becomes the primary source of insecurity.
