Canadian Court Calls Nigerian Police a ‘Criminal Institution’, Denies Ex-Officer Permanent Residency

A Federal Court judge in Canada has denied permanent residency to Iyanbe Eriator, a former corporal in the Nigeria Police Force, describing the Nigerian police as an institution steeped in corruption and human rights abuses.

Justice Yvan Roy delivered the ruling in Ottawa, stating that Eriator’s affiliation with the police made him complicit in crimes that amounted to violations of the Rome Statute on crimes against humanity. The judge said the Nigerian police operated with an unofficial policy that encouraged acts such as rape, torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. He asserted that any officer remaining in such an institution, especially one with rank and responsibilities, could not reasonably claim ignorance of its actions.

Eriator, who illegally entered Canada via the U.S. in 2017, joined the Nigerian police voluntarily in 2009 and attained the rank of corporal before leaving in 2016. During his service, he was deployed to checkpoints during two election cycles, including the 2015 presidential vote, and served briefly with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit widely accused of brutality and rights violations.

In court, Eriator denied personal involvement in any criminal activity and argued that his duties were limited to routine policing. However, the judge ruled that his continued membership in the police, combined with the institution’s record, made him inadmissible to Canada.

His case joins a growing list of failed asylum bids by former Nigerian police officers. In 2021, Justice Sébastien Grammond rejected the asylum application of Olushola Popoola, a former SARS officer, citing his ties to the unit. Similarly, Charles Ukoniwe, another ex-officer, was denied residency after Judge Patrick Gleeson found his association with the Mobile Police (MOPOL) sufficient grounds for rejection. Canadian courts have consistently held that voluntary membership in the Nigerian police is enough to establish complicity in systemic abuses, regardless of individual conduct.