Hello Compatriot!!!
The history of the police force in Nigeria hints us on how it was established, organized and managed by the precolonial, colonial and post colonial leaders to maintain peace and sanity of the society and also reflects the administrative policy and values of the imperialists in colonial Nigeria this would lead us into the discovery of what the police force is, why it exists and the various reforms that they've undergone.
The word police is derived from Middle French, Latin and Greek meaning public order, civil administration, city and (or) government, hence looking at the precolonial times in Nigeria we'd notice that there was a system already in place and responsible for public order, and representing each era of government,they are more or less the visible part of the government, we had such people as Akoda / Olopa (palace messengers with the right to enforce law and order) in Yoruba land,the Dogarai/ Dan Doka in the Northern emirates and the Age grade in the East in the precolonial era, at the emergence of the British rulers the scope of policing was broadened, in that, the traditional police in various palaces became the nucleus of the local police/native authority, police force was established on a protectorate base, Lagos colony police (1961), in 1894 the Niger Company Constabulary created in Calabar, the Royal Niger Company Constabulary in 1888 with headquarters in the North.
In 1900 after the creation of the Northern and Southern protectorates, the already existing police forces were fused together, so that the Royal Niger Company Constabulary metamorphosed into the Northern police force while the Niger Coast Constabulary became the Southern police force. the system was reformed during the creation of regions by the British imperialists and then states by the Nigerian government which led to the police force being divided into regions and then a national one.
The police was one of the techniques used to protect the newly obtained territories of the imperialist against incessant revolt of the natives, against oppression and exploitation, they were also used in sustaining the alien authority because the police were accountable to the imperial colonizers and not the colonized.
upon Nigeria's independence, the Police experienced a lot of changes, ranging from the change of government from civilian to military, until the year 1966, the Northern and Western police(created after the conquest of the west) worked hand in hand with the Federal police, the local police force (Native Authority) was disbanded because they were not imperfectly trained, were by the local chiefs and politicians for political wars, repression and oppression of the masses.
they were fused into the government during General Gowon's regime (1967-75) as state governors
and members of the national ruling council.
The primary purpose of the police in the precolonial Nigeria was to maintain order sanity of the society, this changed in the years of colonial intervention because, their role was basically to protect the the newly acquired territories, disband and disengage protesters who couldn't carry out peaceful protest for instance in 1929 at the Aba women riot, the police were sent to disband the women and this led to the death of 50 women and 1 man.
In the postcolonial police force, nothing much has changed because as i said earlier that the police is the visible part of the government, enforcing the value system of the government. we'd notice then, that the indigenous government only inherited from the imperialists and still follow the same trend of how things are done.
REFRENCES
Prof Etannibi E.O Alemika's histrory context and crises of the police in Nigeria
www.npf.gov.ng
The history of the police force in Nigeria hints us on how it was established, organized and managed by the precolonial, colonial and post colonial leaders to maintain peace and sanity of the society and also reflects the administrative policy and values of the imperialists in colonial Nigeria this would lead us into the discovery of what the police force is, why it exists and the various reforms that they've undergone.
The word police is derived from Middle French, Latin and Greek meaning public order, civil administration, city and (or) government, hence looking at the precolonial times in Nigeria we'd notice that there was a system already in place and responsible for public order, and representing each era of government,they are more or less the visible part of the government, we had such people as Akoda / Olopa (palace messengers with the right to enforce law and order) in Yoruba land,the Dogarai/ Dan Doka in the Northern emirates and the Age grade in the East in the precolonial era, at the emergence of the British rulers the scope of policing was broadened, in that, the traditional police in various palaces became the nucleus of the local police/native authority, police force was established on a protectorate base, Lagos colony police (1961), in 1894 the Niger Company Constabulary created in Calabar, the Royal Niger Company Constabulary in 1888 with headquarters in the North.
In 1900 after the creation of the Northern and Southern protectorates, the already existing police forces were fused together, so that the Royal Niger Company Constabulary metamorphosed into the Northern police force while the Niger Coast Constabulary became the Southern police force. the system was reformed during the creation of regions by the British imperialists and then states by the Nigerian government which led to the police force being divided into regions and then a national one.
The police was one of the techniques used to protect the newly obtained territories of the imperialist against incessant revolt of the natives, against oppression and exploitation, they were also used in sustaining the alien authority because the police were accountable to the imperial colonizers and not the colonized.
upon Nigeria's independence, the Police experienced a lot of changes, ranging from the change of government from civilian to military, until the year 1966, the Northern and Western police(created after the conquest of the west) worked hand in hand with the Federal police, the local police force (Native Authority) was disbanded because they were not imperfectly trained, were by the local chiefs and politicians for political wars, repression and oppression of the masses.
they were fused into the government during General Gowon's regime (1967-75) as state governors
and members of the national ruling council.
The primary purpose of the police in the precolonial Nigeria was to maintain order sanity of the society, this changed in the years of colonial intervention because, their role was basically to protect the the newly acquired territories, disband and disengage protesters who couldn't carry out peaceful protest for instance in 1929 at the Aba women riot, the police were sent to disband the women and this led to the death of 50 women and 1 man.
In the postcolonial police force, nothing much has changed because as i said earlier that the police is the visible part of the government, enforcing the value system of the government. we'd notice then, that the indigenous government only inherited from the imperialists and still follow the same trend of how things are done.
REFRENCES
Prof Etannibi E.O Alemika's histrory context and crises of the police in Nigeria
www.npf.gov.ng
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