This op-ed warns that assaults on Nigerian law enforcement officers are direct attacks on state authority. It urges due process, accountability, and urgent rebuilding of the rule of law before democracy gives way to disorder.
Nothing captures Nigeria’s descent into lawlessness more starkly than the readiness of citizens to abuse and defy law enforcement officers.
The recent incidents in the aviation sector — from physical altercations with crew to outright defiance of security protocols — are only the visible crest of a deeper, dangerous wave.
The logic is simple. Law enforcement officers are the most visible expression of state authority. An attack on them is a frontal challenge to sovereignty.
Whether it is a celebrity blocking an aircraft, a passenger ignoring lawful orders from crew, or a traveller assaulting airport security, the effect is the same: the corrosion of the state’s capacity to maintain order.
None of this excuses the deep institutional rot in law enforcement. Nigerian officers can be officious, sometimes even predatory. But the remedy is not mob defiance. It is due process.
A nation that normalises violence against its agents will soon find the violence turned inward, against itself.
Assault on Officers Is Assault on the State
I watched the video of the young lady in Ibom Air slapping the crew and later the Aviation Security staff. I was appalled and personally felt affronted.
When the musician who blocked an aircraft refused to move despite security staff’s efforts, I wondered: would he have done this at a foreign embassy in Nigeria? Not to mention at a foreign airport.
“A nation that normalises violence against its agents will soon find the violence turned inward, against itself.”
I have not heard of any Nigerian slapping a US embassy security guard, even when they are obnoxious. We have lost faith in our institutions, but a resort to self-help is the surest route to collective anarchy.
During my tenure as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), I took an uncompromising position: the moment a citizen attacked or obstructed an officer, the original grievance ceased to matter.
That was no longer a traffic dispute; it was a direct assault on the Nigerian state. My response was clear. Licences were withdrawn where the law permitted, offenders were charged in court, and vehicles impounded. The Corps stood behind its officers.
At the same time, we opened channels for accountability. We created the 122 emergency line for crash reports and for reporting officer misconduct. Complaints, handled through the Corps’ disciplinary process, led to the dismissal of over 300 staff during my tenure.
“Once you cross the line into assault, the defence ends. The law must speak.”
Military and paramilitary disciplinary mechanisms are rigorous and fair. Officers understand the consequences of misconduct. But once you cross the line into assault, the defence ends. The law must speak.
Rebuilding the Rule of Law
On January 15, 2025, in the United States, Captain David Allsop of Southwest Airlines was arrested after Transportation Security officers smelled alcohol on his breath.
Within hours, he was removed from duty, charged with DUI, and suspended. The chain of accountability was swift, transparent, and uncompromising.
In Nigeria, however, serious breaches in aviation or public safety too often become drawn-out dramas. Elite interference dilutes investigations and offenders are recast as “brand ambassadors.”
This inversion of accountability erodes safety culture and signals that infractions are negotiable for the well-connected.
The federal government should resist treating these episodes as 48-hour distractions. Every security and regulatory agency should publicly display hotlines. Officers should wear visible tags with complaint numbers and inform citizens of their right to report misconduct.
“The line between democracy and disorder is thinner than we imagine. And in Nigeria today, it is fraying.”
The Federal Ministry of Information and the National Orientation Agency (if it still exists) should mount a sustained campaign promoting lawful redress over confrontation.
Since the return to democracy 26 years ago, our collective restraint has eroded. Official violence and a weakened justice system have brutalised the national psyche. Rebuilding the rule of law cannot wait.
The presidency, the National Assembly, and the judiciary must recognise that each unpunished assault on an officer is not an isolated event. It is a step down the path towards state failure.
I do not support the sanctification of misbehaviour. If the government cannot punish offenders, they should not canonise them and impose them on our collective psyche as “Ambassadors.”
It is wrong. We must protect workers and promote the rule of law.
The line between democracy and disorder is thinner than we imagine. And in Nigeria today, it is fraying.
The opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily align with the views of JolibaLive News! or any of its staff members. The author is in no way associated with this online news blog.
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