With the celerity invitation of the British police to crack the murder of Funso Williams, the Lagos State gubernatorial candidate, the federal government and the Nigerian police reckon their piteous state of powerlessness and unmitigated incompetence in undertaking such a perspicacious police investigation. This is a vexing point, a moment of profound national shame, soul-searching and reflection; an overt admission of insolvency that belies (as we already know) the unexpurgated gauche of the Nigerian police force. Let's all understand it well; that after almost half a century of political independence with billions of petrol-dollars to spare, the Nigerian police fall painfully short of solving a mystery murder of this texture and must resort to inviting the Queen's police that hold the magic wand needed to resolve the case, thus, their detectives in Lagos.

Note now some interesting ensanguined peculiarities of the Nigerian police; while it has thrown its hand in arrant capitulation in the investigation of the William's murder, it has never capitulated when it comes to harassing and assaulting Nigerians. In fact, it had never invited the British police to assist it in its dubious reputation of assaulting Nigerians. When it comes to extracting bribe from the Nigerian public, the Nigerian police have the wherewithal, the knowledge that includes the precise amount of force to use against Nigerians, and to accomplish this vile task they need no helping hand from the British police. On this, they are the experts and the British police, the understudy.

Intriguing still, when the former Inspector-General of Police, convicted felon, Tafa Balogun, embezzled $100 million of the police fund, it was a solo endeavor without the assistance of the British police. In this, he needed no forensic experts, no finger prints experts, no crack detectives in London fog coats and hats advising him on the fine art of embezzlement, all that he needed were several Ghana-Must-Go bags to cart away his pelf. Similarly, when members of the Nigerian police maim and kill passengers on the highway, they leave the British police out of it, as they alone must benefit from the spoils. And when it was time to protect Nigerians from rampaging hoodlums in Kano, Kaduna, Onitsha, etc, there was no SOS sent to London, they knew how to be inept in their usual 'stand and watch' posture.

This is not the first time British detectives have been invited to assist with a murder case. When Chief James Bola Ige, the Attorney-General, was murdered in a similar fashion in December of 2001, the British police were on hand to conduct investigations. But even with the involvement of able officers from London, the killers of Ige remain amongst the free with one of the suspects wandering about as a "distinguished" member of the Nigerian senate. We ought to remember the needless rumpus and hubbub that greeted the arrival of Canadian pathologists to examine the remains of Abiola. After several tests, they assented that he died of natural courses, the same conclusion reached by Nigerian pathologists. But even with the participation of the veritable Canadians, the conclusion has hardly assuaged a doubtful nation still soused in a cesspool of suspicion aware of the loathsome abilities of the men in power. Of what material use then was the involvement of foreign forensic experts in the Ige case? Or was it part of the affixation of the establishment to invite foreign detectives to crack local murder cases as a means of ego stroking? 

And Ehindero's police do not seem to have a clue. The intrigue from his men continues to be addling with each passing day. Just a few days ago, the Inspector-General proclaimed that his men have scored some significant successes in unmasking the killers of Ige and Rimi's wife. On the claimed success in the Ige murder case, the top cop vaunted, "…if the courts free the suspects it is not the fault of the police because our job is to arrest and deliver to the courts for prosecution." But if the courts free the suspects, it's an ardent indictment of a shabby police investigation, as they had not solidified the evidence against the suspects before delivering them to the courts. Here is a perfect example; in the Williams case, the British detectives left with 7000 fingerprints due to the inability of the police to protect the crime scene before the arrival of the detectives from London. In defense of his men, hear him again, the boastful IG, "…there was no way we could have prevented people from visiting the house of the slain politician immediately after his death because the public heard of the news before it was reported to the police."

Indeed! Is the IG stating that the police are not part of the public? Do his men not listen to the news? Do they not live among the people? Does the crime have to be reported to the police before action is initiated? In frustration, the imported cops left with 7,000 fingerprints due to poor management of the crime scene. How do the detectives investigate a crime with 7,000 fingerprints that include those of the family members, friends, well-wishers, government officials, sympathizers, domestic staff, ordinary citizens, the killers and get this, members of the police force. Ordinary citizens may be forgiven if they were unaware of the need not to compromise the crime scene, but it is inexplicable that police fingerprints were also found on the scene. Were they not aware of the need to wear protective gloves in such a situation? Evidently, even the most rudimentary protocol of investigation eludes the police, how then does the public repose confidence in them? A local proverb states it well, "anything born of a snake must be long." Similarly, anything that emanates from the Nigerian police must reek of ineptitude as evidenced in the handling of the Williams crime scene as in many other cases.

The salient issues are garrulous reminding us of the slothfulness of the nation's police force. The trouncing of the police authorities by the weight of this murder case conveys a grimmer story of a nation bedeviled and pestered by the infernal apparition of a lumbering, gawky and graceless regime of lethargy and solecism. It transcends reason that in this day and age, with access to the finest lab equipments money can buy, with access to the best training facilities in the world, the Nigerian police, like a restive child eager to report the mischief of a sibling to the parent, runs to the British police for help at a time it ought to seize the bull by the horn and demonstrate its abilities to Nigerians in a brave display of aplomb. The essence of a nation, thus, is lost in this shroud of phlegm and stolidity that suffuse the land. In the same spirit of inviting the British police to dictate matters in this investigation, it would be prudent and indeed exigent given the disarray in the nation's affairs to extend a similar invitation to Prime Minister Tony Blair to replace an equally inept president in Aso Rock. Why not? Even in its very irreducible minimum, the white man cannot perform any worse than the current occupant of the office in spite of his benighted disposition on the affairs of the nation.

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Dr. Phil Tam-Al Alalibo can be reached at alalibo@gmail.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 With the celerity invitation of the British police to crack the murder of Funso Williams, ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 12.08.2006 15:45

Palamedes  Villager

# 2 The invitation shows how ignorant those who invited them are. This is a racist Police Force, even they admitted as much. A Police force that continues to harass Africans and Carribeans. Over 70% of DNA collected are from people of African background, though, we make up less that 6% of the UK population. Also, there is every likelihood that this DNA profiles will be shared with other EU countries. They openly tell Africans to go back to Africa because they are not wanted in their country. My fear is that in order to protect reputation and justify whatever hospitality and fees they are receiving from the Nigerian government, the wrong people might be put behind bars – just ask the Irish, Africans and Caribbeans in the UK. This same police force took 6 years to bring the murders of Damilola Taylor – the 10 year-old Nigerian boy, to justice after bungling previous investigations. Without their CCTV surveillance, DNA profiles, forensic data bank, gizmos, and informants, they are like fish out of water. These people cannot tell one African from another – they think we all look alike. The job should have been left to the Nigerian Police to handle. I would rather have the problem unsolved than invite members of a racist police force. Posted by Palamedes| 12.08.2006 18:11

salstep  Villager

# 3 Palamedes said: The invitation shows how ignorant those who invited them are. This is a racist Police Force, even they admitted as much. A Police force that continues to harass Africans and Carribeans. Over 70% of DNA collected are from people of African background, though, we make up less that 6% of the UK population. Also, there is every likelihood that this DNA profiles will be shared with other EU countries. They openly tell Africans to go back to Africa because they are not wanted in their country. Your statement above is ignorant. Have u ever been to the UK? For your information, the UK on take DNA swabs from people arrested for an offence. Stop giving the impression that black people are been pulled over in their cars and DNA swabs taken. Even if your 70% is correct, its because they have been arrested for something. Are you on the run? Why the worry they may share your DNA with other EU countries Posted by salstep| 13.08.2006 08:58

Naija for life  Villager

# 4 DNA or no DNA, the bottom line is, inviting the British police to Nigeria to solve a murder makes us look incompetent and inferior. We do not need foreign assistance to solve murders in Nigeria. What we need are the crime fighting tools like finger printing, blood typing and, yes, DNA technology established in the crime fighting culture in foreign countries. We have many intelligent people in Nigeria, who supplied with the right tools, can solve the most bewildering crimes. Our leaders should focus on equiping our police forces and paying our police officers decent wages, rather than affirming their already painfully obvious colomentality by commissioning foreign police officers to do the job that Nigerian police officers could do. Posted by Naija for life| 13.08.2006 10:05

Palamedes  Villager

# 5 salstep I have lived in the UK for over thirty years, and the DNA issue was recently in the news – there is no "if your 70% is correct" about it. Scotland Yard do not deny it. Stop giving the impression that black people are been pulled over in their cars... Maybe you are not an African or maybe you live in a bubble or in self denial or maybe reading newspapers and listening to the news is anathema to your nature. How else can one be so ignorant about such matters? I suppose you have never heard of the "Scarman report", published 1981, or the "Macpherson Report, or the ... Also read: Black officers worried by s... UK Black officers tell of p... Black police praise racism ... UK Government Queried Over ... DNA of 37% of black men hel... Are you on the run? Why the worry they may share your DNA with other EU countries Very dim-witted indeed. I agree with Naija for life, we should do it ourselves. The bottom line is that racist police officers should NOT be invited to Nigeria under any pretext. Posted by Palamedes| 13.08.2006 14:32

DeepThought  Villager

# 6 DNA or no DNA, the bottom line is, inviting the British police to Nigeria to solve a murder makes us look incompetent and inferior Unfortunately even without inviting the Brit police we come accross as incompetent and a large number already believe ourselves to be inferior. But rather than seeking to combat our lapses, why is the Govt reinforcing and propagating this negative stereotype to the whole world? Posted by DeepThought| 13.08.2006 14:46

M. Akosa  Villager

# 7 Thank you Palamedes!! You said it all, what else can I say. I don't know any black human with brain cells in the UK who cannot see that the police and law enforcement agencies are heavily prejudiced, considers blacks, especially certain ones from some listed countries as JUNGLE BUNNIES, and their treatment and attitude towards those blacks at any given time is HUNT THEM DOWN. If they want a DNA or bloodbank database, at least they should start with their own sick white paedophiles and serial killer doctors and nurses, who cause a greater havoc and damage on many vulnerable people than innocent Nigerians who only go about their daily business with respect and dignity for the host country. Posted by M. Akosa| 13.08.2006 19:04

salstep  Villager

# 8 Palamedes and M.Akosa, U guys should wake up and stop blaming the british police for your problems. For a start your 70% is now 37%. If u have lived in the uk for 30 years, then maybe its time u adapt. There is racism everywhere, even in nigeria. But people like u always like to see the police as evil because u got stopped in your car. If you do the right thing then there is nothing to worry about. Obviously if you have no insurance on your vehicle and give a false name you will be arrested and a DNA swab taken. So how does that become racist? The police can stop me every day if they want it don't bother me. Stephen lawerance is in the past. Damilola taylor was stabbed by black boys. I am not sure what your beef is with the met. But get over it. They only went to nigeria because they were invited. Posted by salstep| 14.08.2006 09:11

salstep  Villager

# 9 And if i had my way i will have u thrown out the UK. Does that comment make me racist? Posted by salstep| 14.08.2006 09:13

Palamedes  Villager

# 10 For a start, we have a BNP member in our midst. Also, I don't think you are quite a literate person: You don't know the (statistical) difference between 70% of DNA collected and DNA of 37% of black men. I also remember you writing: "As for the inhuman treatment of Nigerians, I am yet to see a genuine case" "As for the case of Ese, she was a victim of UK\EU laws." Now what could be your motive for taking side with the British against Nigerians? Personally, I could not take that line even if my mother or partner were whites. Maybe you see this madness as a way to please a white partner who is British. What a pity, what a shame. Posted by Palamedes| 14.08.2006 11:05

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