Exigency of a Top-notch National Crime Database_Forensic Laboratory.doc

7/27/2019 Exigency of a Top-notch National Crime Database_Forensic Laboratory.doc

1/9

Exigency of a

Top-notchNational Crime

Database,Forensic

LaboratoryBy

Don Okereke(Security Analyst, Consultant)Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @ donokereke

Telephone: +2347080008285


2/9

The plethora of unresolved crimes-wanton killings, rape cases, kidnappings buoyed

up by recent criminal trials and subsequent acquittals in Nigeria underscores the

exigency of inter alia, a comprehensive national crime (DNA) database, sex

offenders database, avant-garde police forensic laboratory, state-of-the-art gadget

and a competent police workforce. The benefits of the foregoing cannot be overemphasized. The dearth of a nation-wide computerized national crime databas

accessible in real time across the nook and cranny of Nigeria has far-reaching

implications. For instance, there are reported cases of ex-convicts and notoriou

cultists serving in the Armed forces and the paramilitary agencies. There are also

cases of dismissed personnels re-enlisting into the same agency or a different law

enforcement agency with different names and information. This will also aid

criminal record checks of prospective employees-Private Security Operatives

Teachers, Carers, Bank staff amongst others. What the Nigeria Police maintain

right now in the name of database of convicted felons and a forensic laboratory is a

travesty of what the aforementioned entails.

If statements, case files, records of evidence are digitalized, backed-up and

safeguarded, it will resolve the proclivity of cases being stalled and questionable

acquittals because the case file, evidence mysteriously grew wings, go

compromised before/during trial or could not withstand legal scrutiny.

Granted that Nigerian law enforcement officers have their own shortcomings bu

training, re-training and equipping them with state-of-the-art facilities and gadget

will profoundly enhance their efficiency with a resultant spin-off vis--vis ensuring

that innocent suspects are quickly let off the hook while guaranteeing that culpable

suspects are not left out there to roam the street with impunity.


3/9

While the rest of the world are assembling a database of child sex offenders

paedophiles and prosecuting/taming them, Nigerias so-called distinguishe

Senators by acts of commission or omission are going the opposite route.

It is a well established fact that in a criminal trial, the burden of proof is beyond

reasonable doubt. Hence a culprit can waltz free if the case against him cannot be

substantiated beyond reasonable doubt. An iota of inconsistency, shoddy

investigation, compromised evidence, wishy-washy prosecution and a mix o

shrewd defence amongst others, has the potency to exonerate a suspect even when

there are tell-tale signs the suspect may have been complicit. A typical example in

the United States is the acquittal of 29-year old George Zimmerman for the second

degree murder and manslaughter of 17-year old Trayvon Martin. A recent classi

example in Nigeria is the protracted trial and subsequent acquittal of Major A

Mustapha and Shofolahan. There is a fast-flying insinuation that this judgement is

product of political permutation. Whether or not one concurs, it is a truism that the

judgment of an appellate court invalidates that of the lower court. From the ambit o

this judgement, we are made to believe that the initial conviction of the co-accused

for the murder of Kudirat Abiola is incongruous. Ensuant to this latest judgement

one is not envious of the two accused for unnecessarily spending 15 years of their

lives behind bars. It may be easy for an accused to wriggle free of a murder charge

but will be a herculean task to be exonerated if charged for accessory before and

after the fact or a lesser offence. This seriously calls for an overhaul of Nigerias

justice system.

However one is somewhat miffed by the interesting grounds, raison d'tre o

acquittal whichimputes shoddy investigation and prosecution. The appellate cour


4/9

in its judgement strongly berated the Nigeria Police for a tacky investigation. In th

words of the Judges, for an offence like murder, I wonder why the Nigeria Police

did not do a proper investigation. The judgement went further to say, the

prosecutions case has gapy loopholes; there are more questions than answers

This is not an isolated case of the Nigeria Police been chided. A salient questionsuffices: was it the Nigeria Police or the Nigerian Army authorities that investigated

Al Mustapha et al?

A while ago, the whistle blowing website Wikileaks disclosed how the Nigeri

Police struggled to cope with the challenges of investigating and prosecuting

suspected masterminds of the gruesome murder of the late attorney general of the

Federation, Chief Bola Ige. According to a U.S Cable made public by Wikileaks

the investigators were described as being ill-equipped and under-trained

especially in the handling of evidence.

In 1995, Chief Alfred Rewane was brutally hacked to death in his bed in Lagos. Th

Nigeria Police arrested seven suspects five of whom died in detention because o

the protracted prosecution. Sixteen years after their arrest, the two surviving

suspects were discharged by a court for want of evidence against them.

Just recently it came to the fore that exhibits (blood samples, virtuous humour of th

eye amongst others) for the trial of the suspected killers of Funsho Williams, a

Lagos State gubernatorial candidate in 2007 were damaged sequel to epilepti

electricity supply at the Nigeria Police Forensic Laboratory.

Another typical sloppy investigation and embarrassing scenario is the assassination

saga of Olaitan Oyerinde, the late Principal Secretary to Governor Adam


5/9

Oshiomhole. Olaitans murder investigation pitched the Nigeria Police against the

State Security Service with a lot of finger pointing culminating in both Security

Agencies parading different sets of suspects for the same offence. With thi

development, the investigation and successful trial of the potential suspects appear

to have been bungled ab initio.

Just to refresh your mind, recall that notable assassinations like that of Dele Giwa

Chief Harry Marshal, Dr. Ayo Daramola, Theodore Agwatu, Sunday Ugwu, Mr

and Mrs. Barnabas and Amaka Igwe, Momoh Lawal, Rasak Ibrahim, Anthony

Nwudu, Hajiya Saadatu Rimi amongst others remain unresolved. A penchant fo

unsuccessful prosecutions, conviction of culprits especially when they must have

been complicit, profoundly emboldens them to dish out their trade with impunity.

In view of the plethora of unresolved crimes in Nigeria, it is pressing that the

Nigeria Police authorities put together a Cold Cases Department. A lot of times

investigations are not carried to a logical conclusion. Cases are swept under the

carpet immediately there is a change of leadership, transfer or death of the Police

Officer handling the case. The proposed Department will deal/brainstorm on

unsolved Cases. In Europe and America 100 year old incidents/cases are still been

dusted up and investigated because their government and the populace wants to

know the truth and what transpired. A lot of times this have resulted in convicted

criminals been set free and the real culprits put behind bars because of new

evidence and advances in Science-DNA technology. With the help of DNA

evidence and Carbon dating, 500 years after his death, a piece of bone was recently

used to identify King Richard III of England!


6/9

Lately about 60 bodies were reportedly sighted floating on Ezu River in Amensea

Anambra State. We dont need the expertise of rocket scientists to unravel the

circumstances surrounding these heinous killings. A global best practice would

have been to conduct an autopsy before burial. Yes, advances in DNA technology

can still piece together some forensic evidence after burial but many of the evidencmay have disappeared or unwittingly compromised especially when a chain o

custody is not properly maintained. If an autopsy establishes bullet wounds on those

bodies, are those bullet wounds compatible with Nigeria Police Bullets o

ammunitions? DNA evidence will also establish inter-alia the nature/cause of death

(strangulation, bullet injury etc) and the approximate time of death. In advanced

climes, this whole exercise will not take more than 96 hours! Despite the brouhaha

this incident generated, it is yet to be resolved.

The Ombatse Cult group purportedly killed about 90 or so Police and State Security

Service (SSS) officers and several weeks later, Nigerians are not aware any arres

have been made let alone prosecution. Instead of working round the clock to fish

out masterminds of this heinous crime, the Director General of the SSS opined they

have forgiven the Ombatse for killing its officers and men.

In the light of this, we need to take a cue from a few countries that are serious with

tackling crime and insecurity. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

(FBI) is said to keep a National Crime Information Centre (NCIC). The NCIC

maintains a computerized index of Criminal justice information encompassin

criminal record history information, fugitives, stolen properties, missing person

amongst others. The NCIC database is available in REAL TIME (computer system

that update information at the same rate they receive information) to federal, stat


7/9

and local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies. It is also operationa

24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All information in the database is protected from

unauthorized access through appropriate administrative, physical and technica

safeguards such as alarm devices, passwords and encrypting data. Similarly the

United States department of justice coordinates a searchable National SexOffenders Public Website (NSOPW).

On their own, the United Kingdom has a National DNA Database (NDNAD) and

also a Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR). The UKs sex offende

disclosure scheme allows parents, Carers and guardians to formally ask the police to

tell them if someone has a record for child sexual offences.

A while ago police in Birmingham, West midlands, United Kingdom did a trial run

of a high-tech mobile fingerprint scanner named MobileID which allows law

enforcement agents to obtain the fingerprint of a suspect on the street in seconds

The pocket-sized gadget is linked via satellite to UKs National Fingerprin

Database and instantly alerts officers if a scanned fingerprint belongs to a convicted

criminal. The concerns of right groups and individuals are allayed because thi

device is only used to scrutinize prints against the National Database and does no

permanently store scanned images.

The illustrations from the aforementioned countries were highlighted to buttres

what the construct of crime fighting should be in the 21st century. Using th

aforementioned countries as a benchmark, can our government and specifically the

Nigeria Police authorities convince Nigerians they are doing enough to fight crime

and insecurity?


8/9

Advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hav

revolutionized the concept of law enforcement. In most advanced countries, rathe

than brandishing archaic Ak47 rifles, it is common to see Police officers armed with

Palmtops, Tablet PCs, and latest telecommunication gadgets on their bits with

which they relay information to their respective offices in real time. There is strong case for the provision of inter alia, Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Systems for the Nigeria Law Enforcement agencies. This surveillance System use

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on images to read vehicle registration plates

This can help determine who a particular vehicle was/is registered to incase a car i

used for terrorism/crime. In addition to real-time processing of license plat

numbers, an Automatic Number Plate Recognition System can store images, dates

times and GPS coordinates that can help to pinpoint a suspect at a crime scene. Its

other applications include fishing out Car insurance defaulters, witnes

identification, electronic toll collection, road traffic management and monitoring

border crossings.

With advances in military technology-Kevlar, airborne lasers, antimatter weapons

case-less ammunitions, electromagnetic weapons, and particle beam weapons,

cringe each time I see our Police officers struggling to move swiftly with thei

heavyweight bullet proof vests.

Nigerian law enforcement officers reportedly do well when they go for foreign

operations but are incessantly found wanting when they operate within Nigerian

soils. It goes within saying that environment plays a role. The Police is a microcosm


9/9

of the larger society, no wonder they are not divorced from the unprecedented

corruption, culture of impunity, inefficiency inherent in the larger Nigerian system.

Rather than chasing shadows, buck-passing, and their gung-ho kneejerk approach to

crime fighting, Nigerias law enforcement authorities must be more proactive andless reactionary. Rather than devoting thousands of man-hour hounding vehicle

owners with tinted glasses, perhaps Nigeria Police authorities should sort out

computerized nation-wide database of convicted felons and a top-notch forensi

laboratory.

Documents

Exigency of a Top-notch National Crime Database_Forensic Laboratory.doc