THE POLICE IS YOUR FRIEND

 

I was thinking this morning..... Anyone and everyone that has anything to do with social media in Nigeria would agree that the trending news this weekend was the burial ceremony of the mother of Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana at Oba, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. The event which was attended by businessmen, politicians, musicians and actors, was an occasion for the lavish and obscene display of wealth. One person no one expected to be at such an occasion where state laws were freely broken, was a well known Deputy Commissioner of Police and main man of the IG of Police.

On Saturday the officer had to give reasons why he attended the burial. In a Facebook post, he had said "Obinna Iyiegbu popularly known as Obi Cubana is one of the most hardworking entrepreneurs and humble personalities that I have known for many years. He is a brother and a good friend." I smiled when I read that statement and remembered Inspector Osadolor in the popular DSTV soap, ENAKHE. Inspector Osadolor is a corrupt police officer on the payroll of the drug barons and will not miss an opportunity to remind his benefactors that the police is your friend.

Of course the police will be your friend when bundles and wads of cash were hauled and 'sprayed' at people with reckless abandon. It is easy for the police to be your friend when over 246 cows were slaughtered for your mother's burial and you are gifting someone a cognac worth N4.7 million.

The Police is your friend. I wish. In 1998 the police stopped me while driving along Okumagba Avenue in Warri and observed that my registration paper had expired days earlier. In spite of my plea for mercy, the officer looked me in the face and insisted on seizing the N5,000 I had packaged to pay my tithe. How I wish he had smiled at me and said 'the Police is your friend' and let me go.

When the police embark on arbitrary arrests, extort money at checkpoints, turn a case against a complainant or even carry out extra-judicial killings, oh I wish, they can truly say 'the police is your friend.' A friend is one that loves at all times (Prov 17:17) but it seems the police are friends to the rich alone. There is God o!

The question is, are you a true friend or are you like Inspector Osadolor that is killing you and yet says 'the police is your friend.'

Stay hopeful. God's got your back.

Happy Sunday.

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey