Few days to my birthday, I had planned to meet up with my guys, Nsan Eneyo and Etete Ekeneoriono, for a pre-planned hang out. So, I left the office about 5pm, boarded a taxi to Odili Road, Trans Amadi in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, and we went through Ogbumnabali.

When we got to Oriaku Street, we noticed that all the roads were blocked, so, we were stuck in traffic, after about 15 minutes I decided to alight from the vehicle to see what caused the traffic. When I walked forward, it was men of the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Nigerian Police who drove in three different cars in a commando style, a brand new Toyota Hilux, Sienna and a small orange coloured Toyota Camry hastily packed at the front of a compound there.

Immediately they jumped down from the car, they (numbering over nine) entered a compound and dragged two men and a lady in her 30s out, stripped the lady half naked and used machetes to beat the two men after tearing their clothes. I was astonished at the sight of this horrendous acts of brutality. So, for some seconds, I thought about all the stories of human rights abuse I have reported and how I could easily be roped in if I choose to know why these persons were being tortured because I didn’t see any incriminating evidence on them.

While standing there for some minutes now, one of the men who was in the driver’s seat of the Hilux called me to come over but other onlookers, who couldn’t do anything to salvage the tortured victims, advised me not to go. But something told me to go. I went there in the midst of the drama, got to the man and he asked if I schooled in the Polytechnic in Bori (a metropolitan city in the state away from Port Harcourt) and I told him yes. He then introduced himself as a former student of the institution while I was in the Students Union Government there and that he knew me while he served in the SUG through his brother who was also a cabinet member.

After the pleasantries, I asked why his men were beating the three victims of their brutality? He opened up that there was a disagreement between two brothers and that they were given instructions to evict the three persons away from their family house by another of their family member but that they were adamant. So, they were instructed to evict them forcefully.

He showed some remorse, however. So, I then introduced myself to him as a journalist with a broadcast station in the city (Wave 91.7 FM) and that I felt sad for what they were doing. He immediately came down from the car and ordered his men to stop beating the people who by this time have inflicted various degrees of injuries on their unfortunate victims.

Sincerely, I was happy when they stopped and three out of the beating squad of nine started begging the brutalized trio and told them that they are acting on superior instructions. I even wished I had money to treat them that day because the injuries were severe.

After much pleading, my newfound friend also pleaded on behalf of his boys as he appeared to be the most senior officer. Before then they have shot almost five times into the air to scare away Ogbumnabali youths who were irked by the activities of the policemen. One of them promised to pay the medical bills for their victims. So, I pleaded with the trio to accept the offer and they reluctantly agreed. They were given some money about N50,000 or more for treatment.

Everyone thanked me and while heading home, that day I asked myself, many questions such as when will all these end? If I wasn’t a Journalist, whom he obviously knew the influence I could wield in such circumstances, would they have left him? I told myself what if I have called the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Joseph Mukan, or even the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Nnamdi Omoni or even any other senior officer that I knew, would they have done anything in the interim to stop the mindless assault on a family of three whose only crime was that they refused an opportuned member of their family to take away the family’s inheritance? In how many of such incidents would someone they could listen to as they listened to me be there to salvage the ‘common man’ who is brutalized daily for being poor?

In all of these one thing is certain, that the Nigerian Police Force, as presently constituted, is faulty and need a complete system overhaul by instilling institutional discipline and prosecution of violators of stipulated force rules through not just the orderly room trials but diligent prosecution of same in the conventional courts.

It appears to me, however, that the leadership of the Force hasn’t yet agreed with the rest of us that its men are not just unprofessional in their operations but ineptly inhumane in handling minor cases such as family squabbles and as petty as boyfriend-girlfriend misunderstandings. But, of course, life, as some would say, is not balanced. But shouldn’t we balance at least those who we pay to protect us and our nation-state?

While I write this the Inspector General of Police, IG has just directed the disbandment of all tactical units of the Force, but I can assure you that nothing will change with mere policy Statements or directives because this is the third time he is giving this directive and nothing significant has changed. So, unlike most Nigerians, I am very skeptical that this new directive will make any changes. I will therefore be pleasantly surprised if it does. Because the Police we all know in Nigeria will only shout disbandment of tactical units and not enforce it because of the peculiar interest and benefits that accrues from the activities of these teams.

And so I support the call to not just End Police brutality and acts of Human Rights abuses but overhaul the entire Force. Till then let’s be vocal against it – for a writer opined that evil persists when people of good conscience keep quiet. If you keep quiet today, do you know who will be the victim tomorrow? Think about it!

Iwor Romgbo, a broadcast journalist, consummate writer and civil rights advocate, and Head, Political Desk at Kristina Reports, sent in this article from Lagos, Nigeria.