Image of the Nigeria police as portrayed in Georgie Iortema’s <i>Night Duty</i>

Abstract

This article presents a literary analysis of Georgie Iotema’s play, Night Duty, which portrays a negative image of the Nigeria Police. The constitutional duty of the Nigerian police is to maintain public safety and public order. In practice, many members of the Nigeria Police are lawbreakers. There are many instances of these law enforcement agents caught fighting, demanding and accepting bribe, killing indiscriminately, and raping women, etc. Disturbed by this development, Georgie Iortema takes a swipe on the Nigeria Police in the book Night Duty, where he reveals artistically the obnoxious and nefarious acts of the men and officers of the Police Force who commonly trample on the rights of the citizens. The present article highlights the negative life of the police that depicts moral bankruptcy, depravity, desperation and misery both in their domestic and public life. The message is poignant and full of moral lessons.

Keywords: image, Night Duty, Nigeria police, drama