Since December 25, 2022 when citizen Bolanle Raheem, a lawyer and mother, was felled by the bullets of a trigger-happy police officer, the whole country has been literally up in arms against the senseless and reckless killing. Not a few Nigerians are stung and exasperated at the pathetic continuation of the unconscionable use of deadly force by the police against innocent citizens on the streets in spite of the promises by the government and police authorities on police reforms and new training. The patently avoidable killing of the young woman at her prime and in the presence of her immediate family members was, to say the least, horrific and inhuman. And the fact that she was killed by a police officer, not an operative of other ranks, in broad daylight is even more disturbing. Bolanle Raheem was reportedly murdered while her husband was parking the car as ordered by a police officer, Vandi Brambi, who shot her.

It is particularly saddening to know that the victim was four months pregnant with twins at the time of her gruesome murder. She had committed no offence at all; she was just unfortunate to have encountered an unconscionable and undisciplined police officer who has no power to mete out or administer any sanction at all, let alone capital punishment, assuming but not conceding that she actually breached the law. And sadly, there are so many of his ilk in the police force. According to reports, a young man was recently killed by men of the same Ajiwe Police Station to which Brambi is attached. This particular report that another Nigerian was killed at the same spot of the murder of Bolanle Raheem a few weeks back is really disturbing because the spate of killings only attests to the fact that no hard lessons have been learnt from #EndSARS protests. And that is most unfortunate.

Like the numerous incidents before the instant case, government and police authorities have made releases about ensuring justice, vowing that the culprit would be made to pay fully for the crime. But the point is that all of this would not bring the woman back to life or in any way lift the burden of the irreparable loss imposed on the family by the dastardly killing. And worse still, there is no guarantee that similar incidents would not happen in the foreseeable future, judging from precedents. The dangerous tendency for police personnel to show utter disregard for the consequences of their actions is fueled by impunity and the lack of deterrence. And unless and until something drastic is done to reengineer the character and conduct of police operatives and ensure that aberrant officers are held to account without fail in order to rein in their proclivity for lawlessness, this sad story will not change.

The government and police authorities have to come to terms with the full implications of this unending orgy of unconscionable killing of defenseless and innocent citizens by policemen. It is a recurrent and disturbing narrative that has to stop. It has become imperative for the authorities to immediately put in place concrete and visible efforts and processes to persuade Nigerians that this ugly trend will not continue. Pragmatic official actions must be taken to stave off anarchical reactions such as the plan on social media to mobilise irate citizens to burn down the residence and assets of the culprit police officer. Meanwhile, we charge those thinking of burning down Mr. Vandi Brambi’s residence to desist from such a grave act of lawlessness; you cannot be advocating the rule of law and at the same time talking of jungle justice. Two wrongs do not make a right.

We also enjoin the government and the police authorities to live up to their primary responsibility of protecting citizens’ lives and properties and not to engage in the direct obverse of this crucial function. The police should also act expeditiously on the instant case and others to ensure justice while also assuring Nigerians of clear positive change in the way police personnel will conduct themselves going forward. The authorities should realise that no amount of image burnishing efforts and verbal promises of reform can positively sway citizens’ perception of the police force if its personnel continue to behave like brutes.