The Nigerian police has always been known for its ineptitude, corruption and extortion for a long while. The effort to transform the public image of the Nigerian police has led the present Police I.G to launch public complain numbers and police emergency numbers. I must say this is not the first time an I.G or a police commissioner in a state of Nigeria will do such but the fact that they do it almost on a monthly basis shows the initiative is not working.

The main reason the idea is not working is simply the fact that the Nigerian police keeps releasing the conventional 11 digit 080xxx numbers each time and Nigerians do not find it easy to remember those long numbers. Another factor working against this initiate is that the numbers released are usually personal numbers of some top police officers who are prone to human errors like losing there phones or not being available when some might remember to call

Please let us pause and reflect, Who will remember an 11 digit no in an emergency when adrenaline are rushing and we are faced with danger. Who will have time to be scrolling through his/her phone contacts for a saved police emergency number when you are trying to stay alive.

I went through google this morning to search for the emergency nos in African countries and from the list on Wikipedia that i saw, only about 5-10 African countries with no definite police emergency number. The code 112 was listed for Nigeria but every Nigerian knows that apart from Lagos state where that code works due to the effort of its governor, no where will you call 112 in Nigeria and expect to get through to any one on the other end. Even war torn Somalia has separate emergency numbers for its police, fire service. ambulance and traffic police!!

An average Nigerian kid knows the American emergency number 911 from watching the movies but no one knows the Nigerian emergency code because we do not have one.

The importance of having a functional toll free emergency number can not be overemphasized especially in the face of increase in crimes like robbery, kidnapping, jungle justice and the likes in Nigeria. And as a Nigerian living in the diaspora who have benefited massively from a system where i called the emergency number and i got a police and an ambulance at my door in 5 minutes, I am taking it upon myself to start this petition until we are heard and something is done.

As a county who prides itself as the giant of Africa, it is disappinting that Nigeria does not have a functional toll free emergency number in 2017 despite the numbers of mobile phone companies we have in the country.

With the increase in crime rates and unrest in the country ranging from Kidnappings, armed robbery, cult wars, jungle justice to the menace of the rampaging Fulani herdsmen militia, the importance of having an easy to remember toll free 3 digit emergency number in the country can not be overemphasized. It is time we develop with the rest of the world as a nation and give the police a brand new image and the citizens a sense of protection.

I have taken it upon myself to start this petition to make the Nigerian authorities do the needful before the end of the year 2017 and give the country a fully functional 3 digit toll free easy to remember emergency number and i will appreciate your support as we sign and push this petition up the ladder to the top.