Pandemic Policing and Public (Non)compliant Behaviour in Nigeria

Previous studies have established the potency of lockdown in managing public health emergencies such as a pandemic. Hence, the Nigerian government, like its counterparts across the globe affected by the scourge of COVID-19 pandemic, followed the path of the global community to impose a stringent lockdown as a non-pharmaceutical intervention to contain the pandemic. This imposition occasioned the deployment of police personnel who were alleged in academic and media quarters, to have committed professional misconducts in their interaction with the public. For academic discourse and policy practice's sake, this dataset, therefore, contained the reasons for the violation of the lockdown order, the experience of citizens in the hands of the police (police illegalities) and the practical solutions to the situation. The data gathered sheds light on grey police-public relations in Nigeria. It was collected in September 2020 via a semi-structured interview of 30 participants who were recruited in Ilorin, Nigeria via convenience, referrer, venue-based, and purposive sampling methods; 20 residents and 5 commercial tour drivers who resided in Ilorin during the lockdown period and 5 police officers who were among officers deployed to enforce the order. This dataset examined the stringent COVID-19 lockdown enforced in Nigeria in March/April/May 2020 against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic which ravaged the global community. It offers an explanation on public awareness about COVID-19 among the Nigerian citizenry. Also, the dataset explains on the citizens’ belief on the suitability of lockdown as a non-pharmaceutical intervention to protect the public health and entire nation. Specifically, the data gives both specific and generic reasons for the citizens’ violation of lockdown. Also, it validates the arguments of pre-existing illegal police practices that occurred prior to the commencement of and during the lockdown. In addition, the dataset is valuable in understanding the public (mis)trust, affectivity and disposition towards the government authorities particularly on the adherence to public health safety advisories to contain the pandemic. It is also useful to the police authorities in reforming police institutions against unethical practices and professional misconducts. Furthermore, it gives clear policy direction the Nigerian government and health authorities in managing future public health emergencies. It can also be used to understand policing and compliance with the law in times of emergencies as it captures responses on survey participants in Ilorin, a strategic location that connects to the rest of Nigeria and explains travel (violation) pattern, which is part of the dataset’s focus. As a result of the scope of the dataset which has been explained above, it will assist the academic community particularly, scholars and research efforts on policing and public administration in understanding the police-public relations in law enforcement/obedience and public order.