By PAUL ARHEWE 16/02/2011 05:16:00
The stampede last weekend at the campaign rally of the president in Port-Harcourt where 12 people were reported to have lost their lives, has again shown how shabbily events with mammoth crowds are organised in Nigeria and the role security men play to prevent misfortunes. Why should people be crammed and arranged in a space where escape routes during emergency are not visibly available?
The Port Harcourt sports stadium, venue of the rally, was turned into an arena of commotion and pandemonium as a shot from a policeman to disperse crowd sparked off panic. In this modern age, how can a policeman shoot into the air just to control crowd? This goes to show how untrained many of our security officers are.
Any knowledgeable human being ought to fathom that shooting to create panic in the mist of thousands of people locked within tight space, could end up in a deadly stampede. This show of lack of professionalism among our security personnel, gives a cause for concern and clarion calls for the need to train Nigerian police on how to be skilled in crowd control. In modern and civilized societies, police hold batons and water cannons to disperse large crowds, not live bullets as we witnessed in our society on daily basis. In late January, four youths were cut in their prime by police bullets for partaking in the protest against the relocation of the newly approved Federal University of technology from Kabba, its original location, to Lokoja in Kogi State. Accidental discharges have always been an excuse when a driver or bus conductor is felled by police bullet for refusing to cooperate and part away with settlement fees. Last month also, a danfo driver named Anayo, 35, was killed by a stray bullet when driving out of his street in Lagos.
Policemen were shooting sporadically in the air and one of the bullets killed this father of three. It is sad every time one hears of such careless killings and authorities are not really doing much to prevent reoccurrence. How many more of these careless killings should we continue to tolerate? It is high time our police officers are trained in the rudiments of crowd control and effective handling of assigned guns. We know the crime rate is on the high side in the country, but not every Dick and Harry in the police force should be made to carry gun, especially when it comes to crowd control. Effective use of baton, water cannons and tear-gas canisters should be widely practiced, especially during mass protests as witnessed in modern and civilized cities. This will relatively reduce the rate of killings at such mass rallies. Government and security operatives in the country should consider the fate of the families left groaning whose their breadwinners were cut down by careless police bullets. One wonders if insurance coverage is ever considered for such events like political rallies; considering the teeming crowds that are attracted to such occasions.
In the recent case in Port Harcourt, what would happen to the families of those who lost their loved ones as they were trying to associate and pay tribute to their contesting president? The reply remains a puzzle. Past experiences have always been short of expectation. Usually, there will be a call for investigation to trace the cause of the stampede. After a week or two, things are back to normal, and the families are made to bear their lost and forever suffer the stress that comes with it. Careless police-induced deaths such as the latest occurrence in Port Harcourt should always be avoided. Except a free and fair polls are recorded come April, those who died trying to support and honour President Jonathan, could be regarded as dying in vain.
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