IGWEBUIKE: African Journal of Arts and Humanities

The preservation of human dignity remains one of the greatest moral obligations of every society, yet this ideal is constantly challenged whenever those entrusted with enforcing the law become associated with brutality and the unlawful taking of life. The persistent reports of police brutality and extrajudicial killings in Nigeria have generated widespread ethical, legal, and philosophical concerns, raising a fundamental question: Can the use of excessive force and the unlawful deprivation of life by law enforcement officers ever be morally justified within a society governed by the rule of law? This article addresses this question through an analytical examination of Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative as a normative framework for evaluating the ethical implications of police misconduct in Nigeria. Adopting the analytic method, the study critically examines relevant philosophical texts, legal instruments, scholarly literature, and documented cases of police brutality and extrajudicial killings. The analysis reveals that such practices are fundamentally incompatible with Kant's principles of universal moral duty and respect for persons, as they reduce human beings to mere instruments for achieving security objectives while violating their intrinsic dignity and right to due process. The study further finds that the persistence of these abuses is closely linked to institutional weaknesses, inadequate accountability, and the failure to embed ethical responsibility within policing practices. It concludes that effective law enforcement cannot be separated from moral responsibility, as genuine justice requires unwavering respect for human dignity and the rule of law. The study therefore recommends comprehensive ethical reorientation within the Nigerian Police Force, strengthened accountability mechanisms, rigorous enforcement of human rights standards, and the incorporation of Kantian ethical principles into police education and professional training to foster a culture of lawful, humane, and responsible policing.

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