An Obsession With Extortion -By Kene Obiezu

Extortion, both official and unofficial, is now commonplace in Nigeria. Many Nigerians have been extorted at one point or another, with just as many Nigerians participating in extorting others. This social disease is especially endemic to Nigerian public and civil servants. Many of them, not content with their salaries, seize every opportunity they have to extort Nigerians.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) were established to fight economic and financial crimes in Nigeria. So it was truly ironic when sometime last month Musa Aliyu, SAN, the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), ran into some policemen who were clearly oblivious of his identity and proceeded to extort him to the tune of N53,000. The act promptly landed them in hot water. But it was only because they ran into someone in a position to take it up.

Every day, the Nigerian police extort many Nigerians. This stubborn streak of extortion, which runs deep in the Nigeria Police, is as subtle as it is systemic. Usually when a complainant reports a case to the police, the extortion begins. They are often asked to bring money for all manner of things. When the suspect is arrested, the police also begin to collect money from them.

As for the ones who man Nigeria’s highways, the less said about them, the better. The brazen extortion by the police has sometimes turned tragic, with motorists and passengers killed for as little as N20.

Nigeria has a corruption problem, and it is important to state that extortion does not stop at the table of the police. Many Nigerian civil and public servants do not believe that they can do their jobs without extorting Nigerians. So, despite their salaries, they seize every opportunity to milk Nigerians of their hard-earned money.

What is to blame for this failure that is moral as well as professional? While it would be easy and lazy to use the poor welfare of police officers in Nigeria as a shield, the whole story is not one of vulnerability and insecurity. It goes beyond that. Largely, it is a question of values.

What values do those who serve Nigerians as security personnel possess? It is difficult to see that they barely have any. For many of them, the only thing that matters is money. That is why they are in service. Anything else can wait.

Many Nigerians have long lost confidence in the Nigeria Police. For many of them, it is better to resort to self-help or to quietly lick their wounds than report any matter to the Nigerian police.

This mentality of helplessness and wariness has been shaped by years of difficult encounters with the police.
Security never works well in an environment where pecuniary considerations are given preeminence. The authorities of the Nigerian police must fix what is an institutional cancer.

It Is easier said than done, however. Extortion is deeply ingrained in civil and public service in Nigeria. Many Nigerians see nothing wrong with it. This mindset is precisely what needs to change if Nigeria is to successfully tackle what is at once an institutional as well as social and moral crisis.

Kene Obiezu is a lawyer and writer.