Exploring the role of political ethnicity on police use of force in Nigeria : a civil society perspective

Abstract

The discussion on policing in multicultural societies is embedded within a wider context of political responses to diversity in state-building. Historically, nations were characteristically formed based on common ancestry, religion, and language, but today’s modern nation-state attempts to transcend these antiquated characteristics of a nation by bringing together increasingly diverse people. Policing multiethnic societies, like other sectors of governance, presents unique challenges for the state, including the need to appear impartial towards all citizens regardless of individual ethnicities. This is so because there is a tendency, in multiethnic societies such as Nigeria, which is the interest of this thesis, to experience the phenomenon called political ethnicity which is, according to Claude Ake, the politicization and transformation of ethnic exclusivity into major political cleavages. Using a qualitative research methodology of semi-structured interviews with members of Civil Society Organizations working in the area of police use of force in Nigeria, the research sought to understand police officers’ attitudes towards those against whom they use force. The data was analyzed critically and findings suggest that political ethnicity exists as a structural challenge, and consequently in force users attitudes towards those they use force against. It is observed that political ethnicity in structural and operational processes presented the opportunity for political ethnicity to fester. Political ethnicity manifests in police administration: recruitment, the appointment of heads of security forces, and mounting roadblocks in specific locations that seemingly target specific ethnic groups. It is displayed through ethnic profiling, ethnic bias, and ethnic politics.