Policing and politics of law enforcement in Nigeria’s fourth republic

Abstract

Historically, policing and law enforcement operations of the Nigeria Police Force have generally been characterised by covert and overt politicisation. Against this background, this article critically analysed the politicisation of policing and law enforcement in Nigeria's fourth republic. It argues that the influence of politics on the enforcement of the law by the police agency manifests under different guises and circumstances at both the macro and micro levels. Police personnel are not only routinely being used by politicians and the ruling class to further their own personal political gains, the management and operational philosophy of the agency are also often a product of systematic politicisation and power struggles amongst groups. Consequently, the overall service delivery capacity of the Nigeria Police Force is being hampered by politicisation.