Criminal Politics: Violence, “Godfathers” and Corruption in Nigeria

One should expect by now that issues like cultism should have been
taken seriously, very seriously, by the government…but the reverse
appears to be the case…From what I can gather they have accepted
cultism as a normal thing that should be expected in the universities.
This is in spite of the fact that some of these cultists are murderers
and armed robbers and they can be recruited easily by politicians to
commit violent acts—they are like a cheap market, they are there in
large numbers at all times to be recruited. So there is nothing actually
to deter students from continuing to enlist in these various cult
groups.
We learned that some politicians—I don’t want to mention names—
have empowered one of the cult groups—[name withheld]—and they
were used in one of the recently concluded party primaries as touts to
ensure that certain candidates were elected.
Law enforcement must be empowered to do the proper thing. If
government is serious it is not that difficult. But where a policeman
has not fed since the previous day, what can he do? In the past year
the police in [this state] have lost 42 men, 28 of them killed violently.
And it’s nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not news that
policemen are dying on a continuous basis.
If I had a way of paying my children’s school fees I think I might just
put in my resignation letter and retire. 146
Selective Use of Anti-Corruption Institutions
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was set up by the
Obasanjo government in 2003 to investigate and prosecute financial crimes,
including fraud and corruption. The EFCC earned plaudits from many Nigerians and
146 Human Rights Watch interview, Nigeria, February 2007.
Criminal Politics 48