Institutional Factors influencing Extra-Judicial Killings by Law Enforcement Agents in South-East, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated institutional factors influencing extra-judicial killings in South-East, Nigeria. The incidence of extra-judicial killings especially by the Nigerian Police is a recurring phenomenon since the inception of the Nigerian Fourth Republic in 1999 and it refers to the unlawful deprivation of life without recourse to judicial or legal processes. The social conflict theory was adopted as the theoretical framework for the study. The study employed the sequential mixed methods research design, and the sample size of 1051 was statistically determined using Fisher’s statistical method while the study participants include the town union members and self-employed youths resident in South-East Nigeria. The questionnaire and the In-Depth Interview (IDI) Guide were the major instruments for data collection. The quantitative data collected were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 software and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and simple percentages while manual content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The study found that the institutional factors influencing extra-judicial killings in South-East Nigeria are corruption within the law enforcement agency and inadequate training. These significantly explain the prevalence of extra-judicial killings in the region. The findings from the study indicated that extra-judicial killings affect public trust in law enforcement and the criminal justice system in South-East Nigeria. This highlights that something needs to be done urgently to restore confidence in the law enforcement and the criminal justice system. This study strongly recommends a proper police reform and this should not be a mere change of name and uniform as it has been in the past but a total overhaul of the Nigeria Police Force which will include periodic mental and psychological examination to ascertain the mental fitness of the officers. Also, the use of vigilante and militia forces should be abolished in the country, the existing ones should be disbanded and disarmed and subsequently trained and if found fit should be incorporated into the force as that will play a key role in curbing the culture of impunity witnessed in the region.