US embassy cable - 03LAGOS2080

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 002080 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2013 
TAGS: ASEC, ELAB, ENRG, EPET, KDEM, PGOV, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: POLICE NOT PREPARED FOR OCTOBER 9 STRIKE 
 
REF: A) LAGOS 02058 B) LAGOS 02043 
 
 
Classified By: Consul General Robyn Hinson-Jones for reasons 1.5 (B) an 
 
 
d (D). 
 
 
1. (C) Haruna John (PROTECT), Deputy Commissioner of Police 
(DCP) resident in Lagos State gave Pol/Econ Officer an update 
on police preparedness for the planned nationwide strike on 
October 9.  According to John, the police force is not/not 
prepared to deal with potential problems that a strike may 
cause due to the GON's failure to supply funds for purchase 
of police vehicles, fuel and other needed equipment.  It is 
his unhappy impression that the federal government is more 
than negligent and is actually "unwilling" to support the 
police. 
 
 
2. (C) John complained that the GON had not given the police 
advance notice of its intention to raise fuel prices October 
1 to allow the police to prepare for possible demonstrations 
or violence.  The police have taken what steps they could, 
under the circumstances, and placed 17,000-18,000 police on 
standby; however, John pointed out that the force will be 
short of fuel for the few vehicles it has.  He added that in 
past emergencies his officers had to ask friends and family 
to pay for or supply fuel for the cars used for mobile 
patrols.  He also said the force has no tear gas for crowd 
control. 
 
 
3.  (C) The DPC further said that the Oodu'a Peoples Congress 
(OPC), a Yoruba vigilante organization, has publicly stated 
its intention to involve itself in the strike.  He sees the 
OPC as an "ethnic militia" that is better equipped than the 
police and could thus possibly thwart any police action.  He 
added that OPC members are rumored to have links with 
high-level Lagos-based political operatives and will provoke 
violence on order from these operatives.  If the OPC involves 
itself in the strike, John believes there will be more 
trouble this time than during the strike last June when eight 
people where killed.  John said the police had received much 
bad publicity following the June strike.  But despite 
investigations by both the Senate and House of 
Representatives, it has not yet been determined if the police 
was at fault in any of the deaths.  John said this time 
around the police may not be as willing to defuse angry 
crowds of protesters or demonstrators as they were in June. 
Concluding that he and other officials have decided not to 
take risks if a strike occurs, he said, "our hands are tied." 
 
 
HINSON-JONES