Charms and rituals are used by criminals in Nigeria – should police deploy spiritual security too?

• The pervasiveness of crime has repeatedly called into question the effectiveness and efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force.
• Many told us that they believed criminals used spiritual security for power and protection.
• Nigerians use spiritual security mechanisms in other areas of social life such as healthcare delivery, conflict resolution and household crime control.

Traditional belief systems

• Spiritual security is a traditional knowledge system that dates from precolonial times.
• The knowledge system of most African societies is generally predicated on a belief system that’s divided into the physical (visible and seen) and the spiritual (mysterious and unobservable).

The study

• We interviewed 35 police officers belonging to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
• We wanted to know to what extent the police were aware of criminals using spiritual security mechanisms.
• Most police officers acknowledged that the system of spiritual security mechanisms was part of a cultural heritage which many Africans employed.
• Participants said that their professional experiences in the field showed that criminals routinely used spiritual security mechanisms.
• They did so to strengthen and protect themselves when perpetrating crime such as armed robbery, kidnapping, rape and homicide.

Physical security and spiritual security

• The work experiences of police officers, however, generally demonstrated the importance of a knowledge system that recognises a connection between physical security and spiritual security.
• We recommend that Nigeria’s police force should explore any potential advantages that the system of spiritual security mechanisms might offer.