An Assessment of the Nigeria Police Force by Yorùbá Female Novelists: A Sociological Approach

The Nigeria Police Force whose duty is to protect the citizens and also enforce law and order in the society has unfortunately become tainted by corruption and other vices. It is common for police officers to accept bribes, often in form of money, in the course of their duties. For example, if an offender cooperates by bribing the officers, they will escape punishment while an innocent person may be unjustly arrested and subjected to legal actions. Furthermore, Police officers betray one another, extort motorists on highways, supply weapons to criminals and act as godfathers to criminals in a bid to make more money. These among other corrupt practices of the Nigerian Police are well depicted in Yorùbá female novels. While there have been several literary works focused on crime and the Nigeria Police in Yorùbá written literature (poem, drama and prose), none has adequately explored this subject as portrayed by Yorùbá female novelists, hence, the need for this study. Using the Sociological Approach with a focus on seven female authored novels (Ikú Jàre, Kò Jẹ́ Jẹ́ Bẹ́ẹ̀, Kò Sí Látẹ, Fúnminíyì, Awọfẹ́lẹ́ Bonú, Ọ̀tafàsókè 1 and Ọ̀tafàsókè 2), this study examines how female Yorùbá novelists portray the Nigerian Police and their handling of criminal cases in their novels. Findings from this research reveal that Yorùbá female novelists portray the Nigeria Police Force as a rotten agency where majority of the officers are unrepentantly corrupt, with only a few of them exhibiting good character.