The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called for a comprehensive, independent investigation into allegations of police complicity in highway kidnappings across Nigeria, warning that institutional defensiveness undermines public trust.
RULAAC issued the demand following a public spat between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and social commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as “VeryDarkMan” (VDM).
Otse raised allegations regarding security force involvement in abductions during a speech at the recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt.
While acknowledging that allegations should not be treated as facts or settled by “trial by public opinion,” RULAAC stressed that serious claims of criminal conduct within law enforcement warrant transparent oversight rather than outright dismissal.
“The appropriate response to serious allegations concerning possible criminal conduct by police personnel is a credible, independent and transparent investigation, not dismissal or institutional defensiveness,” said Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of RULAAC.
Nwanguma noted that the accusations cannot be viewed in isolation, pointing to systemic patterns, including the persistent contradiction between the high volume of highway security checkpoints and the unabated frequency of abductions.
“Checkpoints are established ostensibly to deter crime, identify suspects, gather intelligence and protect travellers,” Nwanguma said. “Yet kidnappers continue to operate on major highways. This raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of these deployments and, importantly, the security and handling of information obtained from motorists and travellers.”
The advocacy group highlighted reported instances where security checkpoints were mysteriously dismantled or personnel withdrawn shortly before abductions occurred, citing past cases where state governors and lawmakers questioned such sudden redeployments without receiving clear public resolutions.
To ensure impartiality, RULAAC insisted that any probe must look beyond internal police disciplinary channels and incorporate civilian accountability bodies, such as the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The organisation outlined several critical areas requiring scrutiny. A comprehensive inquiry must examine past cases of security personnel facilitating abductions, the operational alignment between checkpoint locations and kidnapping hot spots, and the chain-of-command documentation for sudden checkpoint withdrawals before attacks.
Furthermore, investigators should evaluate the safeguards surrounding personal data collected from travellers, as well as the vetting, supervision, and rotation protocols for personnel stationed in high-risk zones.
RULAAC also criticised the ongoing reliance on the vague phrase “unknown gunmen” by security agencies when reporting recurring violent incidents.
“Perpetrators may legitimately be unknown at the initial stage of an investigation,” Nwanguma stated. “But where attacks recur in identifiable locations and follow recognisable patterns, the continued inability to identify, arrest and successfully prosecute perpetrators raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of intelligence gathering, investigation and prosecution.”
“Who are these perpetrators? Who finances them? Who supplies them? Who provides intelligence to them? Who negotiates their ransoms? And why do they remain beyond the reach of the law?” he asked.
Urging both parties to move past rhetoric, RULAAC advised Otse to submit any verifiable evidence to authorities, while cautioning the police against viewing public scrutiny as hostility.
“No police officer should be presumed guilty because of an allegation,” Nwanguma concluded. “But no allegation of police complicity in kidnapping should be presumed unworthy of investigation merely because it is difficult or uncomfortable for the institution concerned. Investigate the allegation not the person who made it. Establish the facts. Publish the findings. Hold wrongdoers accountable.”
