The Impact of Indiscriminate Use of Firearms and the Rule of Engagement in the Nigeria Police Force

Abstract

The growing concern by generality of the Nigerian public over the incidence ofabuse of firearms by the security agencies, especially, the Nigerian Police, has demonstrated an absence of a comprehensive crime control strategy in the country. The damaging effect of this odious situation is hardly acknowledged bythe government, letalone takingdeliberate steps to put an end to it. Police officers need to legitimately carry firearms to incapacitate dangerous armed criminals, and are constitutionally empowered to use force during their daily tasks. However, the almostdaily occurrence of “extra judicial killings," “accidentaldischarge,"etc.causing  fatal harms on innocent citizens,  have now become a source of serious security and safety concerns in the country. The utter disregards of rules of engagements with impunity by the police not only question the ability of the government to protect its citizens but also undermine its credibility. Even though government has frequently appointed committees to advise it on the way forward, regrettably, the reportsof such committees are never implemented. Thisstudy, examines the concepts of “extra judicial killings," the abuse of weapons against the backdrop of the rule of engagements as well as the challenges emanating from the use of weapons in the extra judicial killings in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and their implications for the society.

Keywords: Extra judicial killing, rules of engagement, ‘’Apo Six’’