Mr Longman is a carpenter, who specializes in making caskets of all sizes and shapes. One faithful day he was on his way to deliver a casket that he just made to the family of a deceased, as he was going with the casket at the booth of his car at exactly 9 a.m., he spotted a police checkpoint ahead. He decided to devise a means to evade their troubles. He knew the Nigerian Police and their tradition of taking bribes. He then remembered how a Nigerian police officer took a bribe at a checkpoint, not knowing his superior was approaching the Checkpoint. He tried removing his cap to greet his superior but immediately he did, money fell off from inside his cap.
Mr Longman decided to proceed with his plan, as soon as he got to the checkpoint, the policeman stylishly asked for the bribe but Mr Longman refused to give in. The policeman asked him to park. That was how they started the conversation.
The policeman: where are you going with the casket?
Mr Longman: it's a long story?
The policeman: what is my business with your story?
Mr Longman: I don't like where my relatives buried me, so I am trying to move to a new location. Immediately the policemen fled for their lives.
Why do African policemen like bribes?
There are many police barracks to explore. You will not help but notice the decaying buildings that serve as our police officers' official residences. The words that immediately came to mind struck me as disgraceful. How can anyone living in these ramshackle buildings be expected to provide Nigeria with the care and attention that is required of effective police? These buildings vividly illustrate all that is wrong with our police department.
More so the salary of these policemen is nothing to write home about. Let's encourage our policemen.