This relatively old idiom means to perform a dangerous or a risky task. When you ask someone ‘Who is going to bell the cat?’, you wish to know as to which individual has the courage to do something dangerous. l vividly recall as the Chief Correspondent of the defunct National Concord in old Anambra State in 1982, an absurd case happened.
The National People Party(NPP) whose governorship candidate was Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, had sued the police and the court had severally invited the State police Commissioner, Mr Bishop Eyitene of course, the court ruled that the police commissioner be arrested and remanded in Enugu Prison. Unfortunately, a police officer who is from the governors home town, threw caution to the wind and waited at the official gate of the CP with the mind to personally arrest the Commissioner. Such audacity led to his immediate arrest and he immediately found himself in the police cell. So each time the court rules that a top officer be arrested and remanded in prison, the worrisome question always on the lips of by-standers, is “who is going to bell the Cat”. In the animal kingdom, the Cat family like the Lion, Leopard, Hyena, Fox etc. are very ferocious and the Lion which is the biggest in the family, is fearless, intimidating and walks majestically with an air of self content. Even the Elephant is often intimidated by the Lion.
Juxtaposing this senario with a democratic human society , where there are human “Lions”, who due to their training as uniform personels, see themselves as untouchables in the society, because of the erroneous impression the constitution had impressed on them as provider of security and protector of lives and property, so they usually believe that they are above the law, once they have attained a height on the job. No wonder, judges are frowning at their behaviors which are not in tarndem with democratic principles.
Justice Halima Abdulmalik said the order followed notice brought before the court in pursuant of order 42 rule ten of the Niger State High Court Civil Procedure 2018.
The truth is that the holy Bible explains that even Lucifer who was an arch-angel of God, and highly regarded in heaven erred and was punished for act of indiscipline as his exhaulted office was withdrawn from him in heaven, so it was like well scripted drama been played out when four top security chiefs were serially condemned by different court judges to be remanded in prison custody for contempt of court judgement the first was the EFCC chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa followed by the Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba and the Chief of Army Staff Farouk Yahaya, Major General Olugbenga Olabanji, . All of them were found guilty of contempt of court and disobedience to court judgment .
When in November this year a high court ordered that the EFCC Chairman, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa be remanded in prison custody for contempt and flagrant disobedience of court ruling, many had thought the Court was only trying to flex its constitutional muscle and show security institutions what it means to always obey every court rulings.
After-all such ought not to be so, because one most important virtue of every security personels who passed through a training institution and one outstanding course carefully embroiled in their syllabus is “Obedience”; this is practical and tutorial and it is synonymous to security training. So, when a Justice of the Federal High Court , Abuja , Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon openly frowned his countenounce and sentenced the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali to three months in prison for disobeying a court order many started reading the hand writing on the wall of the that seems to determine a new focus of the judiciary not to stomach any nonsense from any uniformed quarters Infact this new vigor in the judiciary might eventually help to curtail political excess of politicians.
IGP Alkali problem was sequel to the police refusal to reinstate a former police officer, Patrick Okoli who had claimed he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigeria Police Force. In his affidavits, Mr Okoli in his suit, claimed that he was forcefully retired in June 1992 which he rightfully challenged in the court.
Justice smiled his way, when a Bauchi High Court on February 19, 1994, delivered judgment in favour of the applicant and quashed the letter of compulsory retirement. Record shows that the case in question happened during the military era when the late IGP Ibrahim Coomassoe held sway. The period of occurrence not withstanding , it is expected that every incoming IGP should be well briefed after the usual handover ceremony. I did such briefing to lGP Ogbonnaya Onovo about the Police newspaper “ The Dawn Security newspaper” under my watch. It is therefore an unacceptable argument that the office was not aware of the court ruling nor was it aware of the letter from the police service commission which is the supervising commission. The question is why was the case file kept away from all the lGPs since 2004 when the court ruled on the case? If question should be extended, it is necessary to ask why the lGP never called for departmental briefings so as to be abreast with every situation in the police institution.
Unfortunately, concerning both the office of the lnspector General of police and the EfCC Chairman, one would have argued along the commmissions reasoning that the it was an oversight on the part of the Chairman due to the work load and other official activities at the time they took over their offices.
Why the arguement of the police is not tenable is because in 2011 the police approached the court to set aside the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja which was in favour of the applicant on October 21, 2011, but the appeal was dismissed so for a judge to sentence the Chief law officer of the federation for “Disobedience” it clearly shows that there is a fundamental structural and administrative problems facing the police at the federal level. Such noticeable problem can only be solved with the introduction of State Police system.
Like the Lion that would not accept a defeat from a lesser animal, the police cannot but comply to the court ruling because this is not a military regime but a democratic dispensation where the rule of law is supreme.
Security file
Wishes to congratulate our ardent readers CP Frank Mba and comptroller of customs Derick Nnadi and 89 others who recently graduated from the national institute for policy and strategy studies (NIPSS) .
We also congratulate former lnspector General of police, Sir, Dr Mike OKIRO who would be invested on 17th of December 2022 with Papal knight of Saint Sylvester in appreciation of his sterling qualities ,courage and contribution to the peace and development of the society.