From Hidden Bribes to Open Extortion: Nigeria’s ‘Healed Policeman’s Hand’

In medicine, a waiter’s-tip deformity describes an arm position linked to nerve injury. I use the image here as a metaphor for the familiar “policeman’s hand” once discreetly stretched out for a bribe. Growing up, I saw such demands made quietly because they were recognised as wrong. Today, some officers openly collect money at garages and checkpoints, even while off duty. Too often, enforcement feels less like public service and more like waiting for motorists and citizens to make costly mistakes. This problem goes beyond the police. Weak accountability allows public officials and ordinary citizens alike to abuse their positions, mismanage public funds and act without consequences. As elections approach, we must demand responsibility, transparency and consequences that can deter corruption.

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