By Babatunde Ayedoju

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Late last month, there was a clash between some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State when the NDLEA officers, according to media reports, wanted to arrest a suspected drug trafficker.

Police operatives were said to have confronted the NDLEA personnel, resulting in a dispute, during which multiple gunshots created panic among residents.

It is noteworthy that an event like this is not new in the country, as similar cases were recorded previously in various parts of the country.

In November last year, there was also a viral video online wherein police and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) engaged one another in a fight. 

The incident was said to have happened after plain-cloth police officers entered an estate secured by the NSCDC to arrest a suspect. A confrontation ensued between men of both law enforcement agencies in that process.

The same month, there was a clash between a soldier and police officers in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, which claimed the life of a labourer and injured three other people. The police were said to be conducting a stop-and-search operation when they tried searching a soldier on a motorcycle. During the search, there was a misunderstanding and the soldier allegedly tried to disarm one of the policemen. In the process, a firearm discharged, and a stray bullet struck a bystander.

Likewise, in the same month, two people lost their lives in the Obi local government area, Nassarawa State when soldiers clashed with police personnel. According to the Nassarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, the incident occurred while the police investigated a reported motorcycle theft case.

According to the statement, while the police were conveying the suspect to the police station, a soldier stepped in, and in the confrontation that ensued injured a police operative. The matter degenerated, leading to further casualties.

Earlier in that same year, there was a reported case of confrontation between the police and personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when the latter wanted to arrest the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, at his residence in Abuja.

EFCC operatives had stormed Bello’s home in an attempt to arrest him but armed policemen and other security officers guarding the former governor prevented them from entering the house.

In December 2023, there was a reported confrontation between of NSCDC and officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Edo Specialist Hospital in Benin. The clash was said to have started when DSS officers brought in one of their men who was unconscious, and the medical staff reacted in an allegedly unprofessional manner.

About a month earlier, a clash was reported between the army and the police in Jimeta, Adamawa State.

According to the Adamawa State Police Command in a statement, the clash unfolded during a routine stop-and-search by officers from Jimeta Division. The officers encountered three soldiers on a pass from Taraba State. However, tension reached a critical point when one soldier brandished a jack-knife, ordering the police to leave the road. In the struggle which ensued, a shot was fired, accidentally injuring a soldier in the leg, before he was swiftly taken away to the hospital.

A few hours later, the soldiers were said to have mobilised and launched an attack on the Police Command, resulting in the tragic death of a police officer.

Around the middle of the same year, there was also a confrontation between DSS and prison officers within the court premises after a bail ruling for the suspended Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. The confrontation ensued when personnel of both security agencies wanted to take Emefiele into custody after a court ruling.

Reacting to this trend, Chief Samuel Adetuyi, a retired commissioner of police, noted that law enforcement agents are all humans with differences and that how they handle their differences depends on their coping nature.

He said, “Though they are all working for the same government and the same purpose, one agency may feel that it is superior to the other.

“The government hasn’t properly delineated the duty of each law enforcement agency. The implication is that there’s overlapping which leads to misunderstandings among the various law enforcement agencies.

“Sometimes the government can be like a man with several wives, and one is the favourite. In such a situation, there will always be problems,” he added.

Chief Adetuyi stated that the government must ensure that the function and area of operation of each law enforcement agency are properly defined, adding that our leaders travel abroad and should endeavour to replicate what they see in other climes, especially in advanced countries.

He added that we are in the digital age; therefore, law enforcement agents should adopt the use of technology in the discharge of most of their duties, instead of the conventional methods that are fast becoming obsolete.

Similarly, Dr Mrs. Kemi Adebola, a sociologist, stated that every law enforcement agency has its area of specialisation which should be clearly defined; unfortunately, in Nigeria, such demarcation of roles is not pronounced.

While saying that sometimes some law enforcement agencies play roles that are not assigned to them, she added, “For instance, sometimes, policemen check vehicle particulars which is not their work; it is the work of Federal Road Safety Commission, while Vehicle Inspection Officers should check the condition of vehicles plying the roads.”

She said that the government could do better by letting law enforcement agents know where their responsibilities stop, otherwise, they will continue to clash when their work overlaps.

“If I am a civil defence officer and I know that a particular case in my hand should be handled by the police, I should be able to hand over the case to them,” she added.

Dr Salman Adisa, a psychologist, traced frequent clashes among law enforcement agents to personality superiority or inferiority, saying, “One feels that I am more than you and you are less than me, even though they are all working towards the same goal.

Dr Adisa who noted that personality superiority or inferiority happens even among officers in the same law enforcement organisation added that personnel have to get over it and put priority on the goal they are working towards, which is to fight crime.

He also recommended that government should improve the welfare of law enforcement officers and enhance interpersonal relationships among them.