Cops vs. Troops in Nigeria

Nigerian police are known for being one of the most corrupt and brutal civil law enforcement groups in Africa (see the Economist article on the force from a few weeks ago). This latest dispatch from the capital adds to the record. What can the U.S., U.N., or E.U. do to change this course? Or can they only do more harm than good at this point?

Three Nigerians have died in clashes in Lagos as soldiers fought running battles with police.

The dead were civilians caught in the crossfire of a battle that began when a soldier and policeman argued over who had the right to a free ride on a bus.

The police officer hit out at the soldier, who raised the alarm at a nearby barracks, sparking violence.

Soldiers and police then exchanged live fire across the main highway in Lagos, the country’s largest city.

Some 60 vehicles, including 20 police cars, were set ablaze during the clashes.

Urban ‘warfare’

Troops were reported to have stormed a police station, setting it on fire and freeing scores of prisoners.

“The soldiers went to the Western Avenue police station and set it on fire.”

One police officer described the scene as “like a war”.

The BBC’s Sola Odunfa in Lagos says that there were several different versions of how the violence began, but the most common account was that the soldier and policeman came to blows after disagreeing over which of them had the right to a free ride in a bus.

The established practice…

Posted by atrain
Ari Paul has written for The American Prospect, In These Times, Tikkun, Z, Punk Planet, openDemocracy.net, Reason and other newspapers and magazines. He is also a reporter for The Chief-Leader, a New York weekly covering labor in the city.