The death of 41 year old lawyer Omobolanle Raheem, who was gunned down by a drunk police officer in the Ajah area of Lagos State, is generating reactions.
The deceased was seven months pregnant before her tragic murder. She was shot while her husband was looking for a place to park. As directed by the policeman, the suspect and his accomplices have been and arrested and moved to Yaba for trial with the Nigeria Bar Association promising that they would cede to the full arrest of the perpetrators.
Omobolanle’s killing has once again brought to the front burner issues of police brutality and extrajudicial killing, which culminated in the EndSars protest of October 2020.
Do men of the Nigeria police force need psychological evaluation?
Clinical psychologist, Miracle Ihuoma, says a proper psychological evaluation to know exactly what happened to the policeman should be done and it might also not be psychological.
He said a study of about 167 killings, shootings in America, for instance, showed that about 65 of those people who were involved in those killings have psychological issues, and about 17 who did not were cleared out.
After psychological evaluation, we can then say if this policeman was dealing with a psychological issue or not, we can only permutate.
Mr Ihuoma added that it is very possible, that he was actually dealing with a psychological disorder or a psychological issue at the time of the shooting.
“When we talk about mental health or mental illness, you want to look at deviation from norm. Who was this guy before the shooting? If this guy was a normal police officer, somebody who was not aggressive, who handled himself properly, then we begin to ask questions as to what happened on that particular day.
“One would expect that someone who has 33 years of experience that would come to play, unlike other persons who might have lesser years of working experience, that over the time you would have understood how to manage situations like that.
“Although it was reported that he might have been under the influence of alcohol at the time, which also comes to play.
Speaking further, Mr Ihuoma said it is paramount that police officers are evaluated and checked regularly because of the sensitive nature of their jobs in securing lives and property.
He added that it’s important that police personnel are checked to ensure that they are psychologically stable and mentally fit to carry out that role as a police officer for better clarity.
According to World Health Organisation, mental health is the ability of an individual to be able to realise his or her potential and able to cope with the normal stresses of life.
Speaking on parameters used to establish the mental stability of a person, the clinical psychologists said an individual must be able to work productively and fruitfully under stress or pressure while using positive mechanisms to cope with the stress such as exercise.
Talking about some of these evaluations, Mr Ihuoma noted that there are some evaluations that once you administer to personality assessments, can show traces of personality disorder.
“An average police officer in Nigeria is stressed, buys his uniform and the likes. These are some of the stresses they face
“Some of these guys, of course, result in corruption to make ends meet.
“Some of them have children in the university and they have to do whatever it takes. All of this place stress on them.
“70% of all illnesses are traced to stress and once you’re stressed, you malfunction” He stated.
Related posts:
Doctor applauds call for regular mental evaluation of security officers
Experts urge for regular eye checks to prevent permanent damage
NMA advises members on regular medical checks
World glaucoma week: Experts say regular eye checks way to safeguard vision
Experts Seek Regular Interface On Mental Health Issues
World mental day: Mental health in the workplace
#LagosCouncilElections: We’ve done so much to ensure successful Elections – Ambode
DPR promises to ensure regular supply of petrol to Adamawa, Taraba
