Relating With The Nigeria Police Officer: During Search

A lot of people get into trouble with the police who are on a ‘stop and search’ operation due to their reaction or inattentiveness. Whenever you are stopped by a policeman on the street, highway or anywhere and you are asked to surrender yourself for search, do not panic, argue or disobey lawful orders. They have a legal right to stop and search. That a search is conducted on you or your vehicle does not make you a criminal. It cannot automatically lead to your arrest, unless something incriminating is found on you or your vehicle. It is important to say here that you must jealously guard against people dropping incriminating things on you or your vehicle. A vehicle with doors or boot unlock can be used by someone that wants to deal with you for whatever reason to get you into trouble by dumping or hiding things like guns, drugs, stolen items or even a dead body in your vehicle and fingering you to the police. If you think that such scenes that you see in movies are just figments of the imagination of the producers then you do not know how wicked this world is and the length people can go to undo their fellow men.

When you are to be searched, watch closely and carefully between the fingers of the officer. This is so that you do not become a victim of the bag eggs in the police force that can do anything to get money or of conspiracy between your enemies and compromised policemen who may have hidden something incriminating between their fingers like a pinch of drugs. Where you are not vigilant enough, they may drop it in your pocket and accuse you of drug possession. That may result in your either parting with so much money to free (bail) yourself or if you insist on your innocence and prefer to get to the bottom of the matter, they will enter a case against you and the exhibit used as proof of your drug possession even at the court of law. When this happens you can be sure that they will believe them more than you. You will have a very difficult time exonerating yourself.

When these men are on ‘stop and search’ operation, it will be safer to carefully bring out your pockets yourself, although they may not allow you to do that. Seek their permission to do it. But if they insist you cannot do that, you can courteously demand that they show you their hands. You could even make that request harmlessly with a joke that if the officer is truly you friend he should show you his hands before searching you. If that request is also turned down, harmless as it is, then you have to be very cautious and you need to be eagle-eyed to ensure nothing is hidden in between their finger to get you into trouble.

Also ensure that whenever you are carrying items that the police would want you to identify take the documents covering them with you to avoid being delayed by the police or the item confiscated until you can show proof of ownership or becoming a victim of a sadistic officer looking for citizens to prey on. Do have a smooth passage.