Nigerian Mobile Police
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The Nigerian Mobile Police (MOPOL) force is a paramilitary arm of the Nigerian police and operate under orders from Nigeria's federal government. The Mobile Police have been widely reported as brutal violators of human rights, particularly during the 1990s, which has earned them the nickname "Kill-and-Go" amongst the Nigerian population (this is because they are known to gun down innocent civilians and simply walk away with impunity). The MOPOL constitute one of the primary means of political repression employed by the Nigerian state for maintaining control over the population; they were involved in such cases as the oppression and occupation of Ogoniland and MOSOP in the mid-1990s, as well as the Ijaw and Itsekiri conflicts in the latter portion of the decade. Individual human rights abuses are too widespread for reportage, however, reports by the BBC include instances of "killing of a soccer fan over his T-shirt, the killing of five traders who were robbed and the shooting of a popular local musician after a musical performance over money" BBC. As part of the Internal Security Task Force deployed in Ogoniland, police funded by Shell opened fire on unarmed protesters, "killing one person and wounding several others" [1].
The Mobile Police are also intimately connected to the security apparatus of the oil corporations operating in Nigeria, particularly the Niger Delta, as the companies are required to pay the requisite salaries and expenses of Mobile Police forces engaged in the protection of oil operations. Mobile Police are designated to the protection of company assets and, although the MOPOL are under state control, companies such as Shell have admitted to supplying arms and munitions to their MOPOL conditions. This has earned the MOPOL forces charged with guarding oil facilities titles of "Shell Police", "Mobil Police", and others [2].
The typical attire of the MOPOL consists of a black shirt/vest with khaki trousers and canvas boots, accompanied by a black cap or beret as well as an automatic rifle. As guardians of oil operations, MOPOL may carry the designation of the company name on their equipment.
[edit] See also
- Petroleum in Nigeria
- Conflict in the Niger Delta
- MOSOP
- Nigerian Security Organization (NSO)
- State Security Service (SSS)
- Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA)
[edit] External links
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