Police-Citizen Relations in Nigeria

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xviii

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2. Introduction

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 1-10

3. Understanding Legitimacy in Weber’s Perspectives and in Contemporary Society

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 11-24

4. Procedural Justice, Perceived Legitimacy, and Willingness to Cooperate with the Police

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 25-55

5. Can Procedural Justice Nurture Young People’s Perceptions of Police Legitimacy?

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 57-96

6. Use of Force, Corruption, and Implication for Trust in the Police

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 97-125

7. Procedural (In)justice, Police Abuse of Power, and Public Cynicism about the Law

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 127-151

8. Why Do Nigerians Comply with the Law? Assessing the Intersection between Dull Compulsion, Perceived Legitimacy, and Compliance with the Law

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 153-182

9. Public Satisfaction with the Police: A Study of Normative Expectations, Procedural Justice, and Treatment Outcome in Nigeria

   • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

   Pages 183-203

10. Predatory Policing, Police Abuse, and Implications for Trust and Cooperation with Police

    • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

    Pages 205-237

11. Conclusion

    • Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

    Pages 239-245

12. Back Matter

    Pages 247-251

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This book offers an historical and contemporary analysis of policing and police-citizen relations in Nigeria, to understand why people co-operate (or don’t) with the police. It examines police legitimacy and the validity of procedural justice theory in a post-colonial African context where corruption, brutality and lack of accountability are not uncommon, to find more refined and alternative answers to the question of why people co-operate (or don’t) with the police. The history of policing in Nigeria is explored first and then procedural justice theory is tested through an extensive, cross-sectional survey of the public. One of the core findings is that citizens’ co-operation with the police is driven less by legitimacy but more by effectiveness considerations and “dull compulsion”, a concept akin to legal cynicism. This study represents one of the first attempts to test and understand “dull compulsion” and its relevance in this context. Overall, it develops the field by illustrating that that there are significant variations between contexts when addressing the influence of perceived procedural justice policing on perceptions of police legitimacy, and it explains the implications for policy makers.

• corruption
• policing
• police effectiveness
• policing in the global south
• dull compulsion
• african studies
• crime and society
• policing in africa
• lawful behaviour
• police and society

• Department of Social Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

  Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi

Oluwagbenga Michael Akinlabi is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. He has a PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Griffith University in Australia. He was previously educated in his home country, Nigeria, as well as at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. He has successfully attracted more than 17 scholarships, grants, recognition and awards in Nigeria, United Kingdom and Australia: including the prestigious British Commonwealth Scholarships, Australian Postgraduate Awards, and the Australian Government’s Endeavour Executive Fellowships.