TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE……………………………….....……… i
CERTIFICATION………………….………………… ii
DEDICATION…………………………………….…. iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………….……. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………...……….……. v
CHAPTER ONE
1.O GENERAL
INTRODUCTION……………… 1
1.1 Background……………………………………. 1
1.2 Statement of the problem………………………. 4
1.3 Scope and purpose of the study………………… 5
1.4 Method of the Research………………………… 6
CHAPTER TWO
2.O COMMON
GOOD…………………………. 8
2.1 Literature Review……………………………. 9
2.2 The Ontology of Common Good…………….. 14
2.3 Obstacles that hinder Common Good.....……… 15
2.4 Common Good and Institutions………………. 17
CHAPTER THREE
3.0
UNDERSTANDING THE ACT OF
POLICING…. 19
3.1 The meaning of police and act of policing……….. 21
3.2 Community policing………………………………. 23
3.3 Roles of police in a Society………………………… 25
3.4 The Structure of Police Force in Nigeria………….… 27
3.5 The philosophy of police service……………………. 29
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0
THE NIGERIA POLICE AND
SOME CASES OF MOCKERY OF COMMON GOOD………………. 31
4.1 Some possible causes of police mockery of
Common good in Nigeria…………………………… 32
4.2 Nigerian
Police and Destruction of lives and
Property… ………………………………………… 36
4.3
Nigeria police, Bribery and Extortion of Twenty Naira
Syndrome………………………………………….. 37
4.4 Police Conniving with Armed
Robbers – A mockery
of common
good…………………………………….. 39
4.5 Police Brutality and Extra-judicial killings………. 41
4.6 Police meddling with Public Funds and
property………………………………………….. 43
4.7 Nigeria Police, other Human Rights Abuses,
Corruption and
Indiscipline……………………… 45
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0
EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION
5.1 Critical Evaluation………………………………. 49
5.2 Some Recommendations……………………….. 53
5.3 Conclusion……………………………………. 57
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………….. 60
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
Mind cast on
some capitalist societies shows that sometimes, pursuit of personal interest
overrides and militates against the realization of common good. Ipso
facto, Nigerian society has not been an exception to this. Yet, the fact still
remains that it is in working together for the common good or welfare that one
achieves one’s private good, and not the reverse. This is because the adoption of a capitalist
system does not presuppose a society where the sense of justice and mutual
co-existence is totally lost. Hence,
some social philosophers have become exponents and defenders of common good of
the human society. No wonder Aristotle
holds that man is a social being. That
is to say that the goals which man sets for himself, are those he pursues in
common with other men. This, as a matter
of fact, defines the existence of human society. Taking a cursory look on one of the reasons
why man seeks to live in a society:
…is to attain the fullness or end of his life, which
is achieved only when it is integrated in a body of social communication.1
Thus, the society more or
less, exists for the realization of the common good of the whole.
But it seems that even people, who suppose to make others adhere to the
promotion of common good, are sometimes found to be those who directly or
indirectly oppress the common good. The Nigeria police for example, sometimes
go against the common good of the members of the society, which results in loss
of lives and property here and there, and they swim in the ocean of
indiscipline and corruption in the force. This is because there is a gruesome
pursuit of private interest and so, the end for which man comes together in a
society is seriously defeated.
Thus, in this
social ill, human right and dignity is compromised. It is on this that Pope
John Paul II holds that “respect for the dignity of the person which implies
the defense and promotion of human rights, demands the recognition of the
religious dimension of the individual”.2 This is in consonance with social, economic
and political order respectful of the dignity, freedom and fundamental rights
of each person. There exist both fundamental and other human rights, which
every citizen should enjoy. This underscores the urgency of promotions of such
common good.
There are
several definitions of common good. In general parlance, common good highlights
a specific good that is shared by and beneficial to all, or most members of a
given community, and also this is how this common good is broadly understood in
philosophy, ethics and political science. The idea of common good could also be
seen in certain degree, as the general welfare of the people.
Nevertheless,
sometimes people propound certain theories in criticism of the idea of common
good. There is, for instance, a theory called psychological egoism, which
argues that man is selfish and self-seeking by nature, and so, every person
always seeks his interest in whatever he does. According to this theory,
whenever a person does anything, he does it only because he has seen that
somehow (either directly or indirectly, either immediately or in the future) he
will derive some benefits for himself from it.3
The theory claims that behind any human action, there is always a selfish motive
which prompts it and which acts as its driving force. Thus, any human action
could aim at a selfish desire for fame, a desire for wealth, a desire for
praise, a desire for money, a desire for power etc.
But, one may
not have to say for sure that this theory completely holds water. If it were
true, then, it would be impossible to be altruistic, since altruism is the very
opposite of egoism. Altruism has been found to be a moral ideal; the more
morally mature a person is, the more altruistic he becomes, and the more
morally immature he is, the more egoistic he is. According to J. Omeregbe, the
truth is that man has, by nature, the potentialities for both selfishness and
altruism because he is by nature, both individual and social.4
But why does a
human society exist? One can say that society exists in order to ensure the
free movement of the individual members in the pursuit of their interest as a
community. This underscores the notion
of common good, which is part of what we set out to consider in this work. Man
realizes his private good more genuinely when it is pursued in the general or
common good of the society in which he belongs.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.
Every civil
society exists for the realization of common good of the social whole.5 This underscores the establishment of
some institutions or bodies that would be charged with the responsibility of
helping to achieve, promote or realize this common good. The police force,
then, is one of such institutions. As a matter of fact, the basis for establishment
of police force is mostly geared towards the welfare of the society.6
However, it
has been found out that in Nigeria, there are instances where insecurity of
life and property are rather found in the hands of security agents, who leave
the common good in pursuit of private interests. When this becomes the case,
there is no promotion but the mockery of common good. This is when law
enforcement agents become lawless themselves. They are even seen to use their
police authority to pursue their selfish interest, to the extent of using
bullying and killing to the detriment of the general welfare of the people, of
which they are called to protect. Lives and properties are lost in the hands of
those meant to protect them.
But a person
is not meant to be subject to whomever that can control him by force without
regard for reason of law (common good of the whole) and order of a society.
When this prevails in a society, Thrasymanchus’ ‘might is right’ reigns, where
the stronger (armed policemen) takes along what belongs to the society.
Injustice becomes the order of the day, where the rights of the weak and poor,
are trampled on.7 The problem then
becomes: who, after all, guards the guardians, if the entire common good is to
be realized. This is a question that has bedeviled man for a long time. The
recent excesses and illegalities of our respected police force, give special
urgency to the question of control over and accountability of our police
establishment. Certainly, the sight of such ill activities of some of our
police officers intimidating its citizens, or interrupting the flow of life of
justice, is sufficiently unnerving to force us to seek answers to the
challenge.
1.3
SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY.
In
this research work, my realm of concentration and concern will be limited to
the consideration of notion of common good by some thinkers and then use it to
investigate into only some ill activities of Nigeria police that militates
against the general welfare of the people. As a matter of fact, Nigeria police has
cases where they promote common good, but I shall only limit myself to some
cases of their negation of common good.
The purpose or
objective of this research is streamlined towards exposing certain indiscipline
and corruptive activities of Nigerian police force that ridicule the
realization of common good of the people, which defines the role of police
institution, and which underscores the fundamental end of a civil society. It seems that this work sets to answer, to
some extent, the question: who will guard the guardians for the realization of
common good. Hence, the aim is to consider perhaps, some possible solutions to
the problem.
1.4 METHOD OF THE RESEARCH
The method
used in this work is strictly expository in the sense that it portrays some
police misconducts with a view to proffer possible solutions; investigative
because it is a search for instances of police misconducts; critical because of
its reasonableness and that it is given to expressing severe judgments of what
the police ought to be; and evaluative in the sense that it assesses the value
of common good in relation to the end for which a civil society exists.
Thus, for
proper handling of this task, the work is divided into five chapters with
sub-headings under each one. Chapter one
will be a general introduction. Chapter two has to do with literature review,
ontology of common good, obstacles that hinder common good and then, the common
good and institutions.
In chapter
three, we shall consider an understanding of an act of policing, roles of
police in a society, the structure of police force in Nigeria, and philosophy
of police service. Chapter four, will
furnish us with some instances or cases of police mockery of common good in
Nigeria. Then, the final chapter is all about a critical evaluation, an attempt
to proffer some solutions and then conclusion of the whole work.
1 J. Maritain, The person and The Common Good, (Indiana: University
of Notre Dame Press, 1947), p. 48
2 Pope John Paul 11, Christi Fides Laiti (Owerri: Assumpta Press, No.
15)
3 J. Omoregbe, Ethics: A Systematic and Historical Study,(Lagos: Joja
Press Ltd, 2001), P. 79.
5J. Maritain, op. cit. P. 50
6 The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1979, chapter
VI, part III, section 195, No. 3 and 4, P. 73.
7 S.E. Stumpf, Philosophy: History and Problems (5th ed.),
(U.S.A.: McGraw-Hill Inc., 1994), P.33-34