The Challenges of Effective policing as measure of controlling the phenomenon of corruption in Nigeria Today

Abstract

There is a kind of consensus in the extant literature on democracy, democratization and democratic consolidation generally that maintenance of law and order is a sine qua non to the stability of any polity in all regions and climes. All societies require a body of men and women whose sole occupation is that of protecting them from the dangers of external invasion, internal subversion, or irredentist claims that may tear a society into shreds. It is important to note that right from independence in 1960, the Nigeria Police like several other colonial and post-colonial Police Forces has been grossly enmeshed in corruption, there by curbing its effectiveness vis-a-vis its constitutional and traditional roles. If there is any institution that Nigerians detest, the Police Force will rank highest because of the negative public perception qt the force. The thrust of this paper therefore, is to inquire why corruption is so endemic in the force and the effect of the malady on a nascent democracy.