By Enyeribe Ejiogu
A lawyer and Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ibrahim Abdul Abdulsalami, who recently won the Inspector General of Police Sword as the Best Graduating Cadet 2017, among 767 other cadets that included the son of the Emir of Kano, has revealed that Nigerian hospital patients’ ignorance of their rights under the law is the primary reason some doctors now easily escape prosecution in cases of gross negligence, malpractice and unprofessional conduct in the discharge of healthcare services.
In recognition of his academic excellence during the cadet training at the Police College, Jos, Plateau State, he was awarded the IGP Sword, which was presented to him by the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Danbazau, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) at the passing out parade of the cadets, held on December 15, 2017.
Abdulsalam, who hails from Olorunda Local Government Area, Osogbo, Osun State, is a Law graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna, who also obtained a Master of Law degree from Obafemi Awolowo University with specialization in Medical Jurisprudence, explained that the ignorance of victims of malpractice and their unwillingness to pursue such matters have prevented the police from prosecuting such cases and thereby contribute to the change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari and bring about improvement in society.
“Medical jurisprudence is about medical negligence on the part of healthcare practitioners. The problem is that most patients are not availed of their rights under the law in matters of healthcare. Most of them do not know that they have a fundamental right to proper and efficient healthcare service delivery.
“My expertise will basically help to enlighten the people on their fundamental right to good service delivery in matters of healthcare. So medical jurisprudence deals mainly with issues of malpractice and negligence. When there is a case of negligence and malpractice, patients are often not willing to come forward and press charges because they do not know their rights. They just feel that whatever happened to them in the hospital, happened by chance, whereas they are entitled to the best of the best.
“Therefore, my expertise would be used to enlighten the public as to their rights in matters of healthcare service delivery under the Law. It is another way of demonstrating to the public, the import of the slogan that says “the Police is your friend?”
“So, I will use my expertise to properly educate the public. But we must recognize that the police do not work in isolation. We work with information provided by members of the public who have been victims of medical malpractice and negligence. If the victim is not willing to come forward and tell his story, there is very little that the police can do in such a case to help the person. That is why I want to work hard on using the platform of the Nigeria Police to educate the public of their rights to proper, efficient, professional service delivery in matters of healthcare under the Law. There is a very big lacuna, but with public enlightenment I think we can make progress in closing the gap.
Abdulsalami spoke further on his early preparation for this, saying that prior to enlisting into the police and being commissioned he practiced in the respected law firm of Soji Oyetayo and Co, in Osun State. “I am an all-rounder. I am a professional, I’m lawyer and a policeman. I have been trained in all aspects of police prosecutions, medical jurisprudence is just an aspect of the scope. My job is to prosecute suspects who have been charged to court based on evidence obtained through diligent investigation by police detectives. I will use my skills and expertise to work for the police organization wherever I am posted in the country. I have been trained to combat crimes and criminality in the country and to do so with a deep sense of patriotism, diligence, commitment to the rule of law, acting all times in good conscience. Through my work, I will sustain the good image of the police and make people see the police as a true friend.
Asked why he chose to join the police, he said: “First, I like their professionalism, and the way they conduct themselves, especially in the legal aspect. But I was inspired more by a female police lawyer and prosecutor, Funke Fawole, who I often encountered in court, during my days in private practice. At that time, she was the officer-in-charge (Legal) in Osun State Police Command. I loved the way she conducted herself in court and the way she presented her cases. She was very exceptional and professional. Of course, my father played a role, because I saw the police through him; he is an excellent officer and a role model. I chose to join because I like the Police Force, and as a citizen, not because my father is a senior officer in the force.”
Incidentally, Abdulsalami started his primary school education at the Police Children School, Kano, and speaks both Yoruba and Hausa fluently. During the cadet training, Abdulsalami said that like most other members of his set, he interacted with the son of the Kano emir, who he said came across as a very humble person and was also commissioned as an ASP.
“The son of the Emir was one of us, he is a General Duty officer. We interacted on a number of occasions, and found him to be a very humble person. It’s just that it was difficult for him to hide his identity. As soon as he stepped into the college, his royalty gave him away and everybody got to know that he’s the son of the respected Emir of Kano.
“Am sure that he would have wanted to be an unknown person. He was active both in class and on the field. He was very disciplined and made admirable effort to adapt to the rigorous nature of the training and I can say without any iota of doubt that he is one of our finest,” Abdulsalami said.