𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬

𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬

A social media post by the Nigeria Police Force Complaints Response Unit on X calling for citizen accountability alongside police reform has sparked an online debate.

In the post shared on Saturday under the hashtag #NoToImpunity, the Police CRU argued that achieving a safer society requires behavioural changes from both law enforcement officers and the public.

“Let’s stop pretending the police are the only problem. Yes, the Nigeria Police must improve. Officers must be professional. Corruption, brutality, extortion and abuse of power must be confronted. But citizens too must look in the mirror,” the post read.

“You cannot break the law, resist arrest, insult an officer, offer money to escape an offence, obstruct police duty, and then jump online shouting, ‘POLICE IS CORRUPT!’

“You cannot demand a professional police force while behaving like an unprofessional citizen,” the post added.

The unit concluded the message by asking users to weigh in on whether the police or the citizens need to change first.

It wrote, “A better Nigeria is not built by police officers alone. It starts when the police respect the law and citizens respect the law too. Better police, better citizens, better Nigeria. So let’s settle this argument: Who needs to change first? The Police or the citizens?”

The post immediately drew reactions from X users, many of whom insisted that the police force must lead by example before expecting respect from the public.

Responding to the post, a user, Nick, who tweets as #Nicholas33678, wrote, “The police need to change first; if you become professional, people would naturally respect you, but if you’re busy collecting money from bus drivers and other road users, you’ll never get any iota of respect. Clean up your house first before looking outside.”

Another user, Uchiha Madara, identified on X as#iam_Lillash001, highlighted police provocation as the root cause of hostility, saying, “You can’t expect the citizens to stay idle whilst being harassed or extorted… a citizen will never walk up to an officer randomly to insult them… There would be a provocation that would lead to it.”

Faulting the institutional responsibility of the force, #UbamaraChukwu_ pointed out that officers are funded by taxpayer money, writing, “For your information, you are the ones being paid with public funds, not the ordinary citizens demanding better policing. If anything, the Nigeria Police should be the ones showing Nigerians what true professionalism looks like.”

Conversely, a few users supported the premise that societal change begins with the populace.

Abdulwasi’i Alabi, who tweets as #Con_quis_tador, argued, “Obviously the citizens, cos they’re the ones that become/attained whatever other positions one can think of. Just like how family is the smallest unit of a society, citizens are the main core of any institution.”

However, user #flexy34T attributed public hostility to systemic trauma caused by rogue officers, saying, “Many people live with trauma caused by corrupt officers, so our basic instinct as citizens has become to stay on the offensive, so corrupt officers know we’re not easy prey. I’d say it starts with showing basic human empathy, being professional, and respecting the rule of law.”