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Handing over
ceremony: Acting Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase (middle) discussing
with his Deputy Inspector General of Police Hashimu (left) and DIG Doma (right)
shortly after handing over in Abuja yesterday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
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There was confusion and
drama at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, as the sacked
Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, stalled the formal handover to
his successor, Mr Solomon Arase, until he was compelled to do so by the
Presidency.
This came as some former
Inspectors-General of Police expressed reservations over the manner Abba was
removed while other leaders were divided over the sack.
The handover ceremony
which was earlier slated for 8 a.m. with invitations sent to journalists for
coverage from the office of the Force Public Relations Officer, did not take
place until almost 4pm following the absence of the ex-Police boss at the
headquarters.
Vanguard report continues:
Abba was said to have
removed all his personal belongings before leaving the office around 11.20 p.m.
after the announcement, Tuesday. According to his aides, when they visited his
official residence at Maitama early yesterday, Abba said he was yet to receive
any official letter informing him to hand over as he heard the news of his sack
on radio and television like other Nigerians.
Vanguard learnt that reporters
who converged in their numbers early in the morning for the handover, were
disappointed as they were not allowed access to Force Headquarters. No reasons,
according to sources, were given for the delay in the handing over ceremony.
3 DIGs protest
appointment of Arase
Meanwhile, uncertainty
continued to pervade Force Headquarters after it was reliably gathered that
three of the serving Deputy Inspectors-General of Police were holding an
emergency secret meeting in one of the offices on the 6th floor of the
headquarters building.
Feelers from the meeting
indicated that they resolved to strongly protest the appointment of their
contemporary, Arase, DIG Intelligence, as acting Police boss on the grounds
that they were all promoted same day on February 20, 2014.
The three DIGs were also
said to have sworn to contest the appointment of Arase to the highest level
because they were not well treated by his appointment. While palpable tension
generated by the ugly development threw Force Headquarters into confusion,
other top officers and the rank and file were seen in different moods.
Many of them stood in
groups discussing the development in hushed tones. Some officers were also seen
in jubilant mood, praising President Goodluck Jonathan for taking the decisive
action.
They alleged that they
were not well treated by the former IGP during the elections as they were not
paid their due allowances. Many of the officers, however, commended the
appointment of Arase, noting that he is well suited for the job.
Handover at last
While the situation
continued to generate tension, relief came at last after the Presidency
reportedly directed that the ceremony must be completed without fail before end
of the working day.
This, according to
sources, forced Abba to quickly rush to Force Headquarters after directing
Force Public Relations Officer to issue fresh releases inviting reporters for
the ceremony at 2.30pm. The handover later took place around 4.30pm.
I’ll provide highest
possible level of professional leadership —Arase
After the dust had
settled, the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Ehigiator Arase,
yesterday took over command of the Nigeria Police Force from his predecessor,
Abba, with a declaration that he will provide the highest possible level of
professional leadership while trusting that officers and men shall march
hand-in-hand with him to advance the fortunes of the Force.
Arase made the
declaration even as he warned unrepentant felons who may want to put to test
the common will of the Force by disrupting the re-run elections in Imo, Abia
and Taraba states to think again as the Force will not hesitate to deploy its
potent assets to deal firmly and decisively with deviants.
His words: “My dear
officers, the task of blending our acclaimed quality human assets with quality
leadership is the main challenge ahead of us but it is one I am convinced we
can surmount.
“In so doing, we must
resolve, both individually and collectively, to hold our duties sacred, perform
our functions with pride and exhibit the highest level of professional
excellence in all our engagements.
“Let me use this
opportunity to quickly remind you that aside our routine operations, we have
within the short term, two major national assignments where our professional
expertise and commitment will once again be subjected to national and
international scrutiny. First, is the conduct of the governorship elections in
areas where they were declared inconclusive by INEC— Imo, Abia and Taraba
states.
“The second is the
delivery of hitch-free presidential, governorship, National/state Assembly
inauguration at federal and state levels. While with your support, I am
confident that we have the operational capacity to ensure the success of both
exercises, I am not unmindful of the possible security threats that some
lawless individuals may attempt to pose during the make-up elections.
“Consequently, while the
unique intelligence assets of the force will be deployed to proactively support
our operational plans, there shall also be massive deployment of men and materials
to the affected areas in order to assure a secure environment for the qualified
electorate to exercise their franchise.
“I must, however,
re-emphasize that as a nation, we have had enough of electoral violence.
Therefore, under my leadership, we shall work closely with INEC and other
strategic stakeholders to ensure that such acts will not only be defined as
intolerable; perpetrators will be identified, isolated and brought to deserved
justice to act as deterrence.
Arase urges politicians
to play the game by the rules
“To the unrepentant
felons that may want to put our common will to test, the message is being
relayed here loud and clear, that in securing the law-abiding, we shall also
not hesitate to deploy our potent assets to deal firmly and decisively with
deviants. In addition, I will ensure that the AIGs and CPs that will be
deployed for the election duties are empowered enough to ensure the success of
their operations.
“In line with the
principle of ‘to whom much is given, much more is expected’, such senior
officers should be prepared to be accountable for their actions while the
exercise lasts.”
While calling on
political actors to assist the Police and other law enforcement agents in
sustaining the gains recorded in our democracy journey, the Acting IG said:
“They should remember
that politics is a game guided by rules and it behoves them to play the game by
the rules.”
On Abba, he said: “Aside
being a vastly experienced police administrator, IGP Suleiman Abba is known to
be gifted with exceptional leadership qualities which have manifested in his
trade mark comportment, humility and respect and courtesy with which he treated
members of his management team throughout his tenure. Even more elating is that
he is a unique motivational leader that demonstrated genuine passion for the
welfare of officers and men of the force.”
I want to move on with my
life —Abba
On his part, former IGP,
Abba said: “Let me first congratulate the acting IGP for the elevation. With
every sense of sincerity of purpose, let me say it is a well-deserved
appointment, not only for the management of the force but for the society of
Nigeria. That is to say I wish him well and know he will do well.
“I want to thank the
Almighty God for my appointment and like He (God) said, He alone gives and He
takes; particularly now that I am leaving in good health. I want to also thank
President Jonathan for appointing me as IGP and seeing me up to this time
because I believe God knows the best.
“Now I want to move on
with my life and in doing that, I want to use this opportunity to appeal to
those who we might have offended to know that the nature of policing in a
country like Nigeria is fraught with its challenges. We have different people,
different values. Even at that, I want to appeal to those who feel deeply
offended to have a place in their heart to forgive and lend support to my
colleagues.
“My happiness is that we
have gone through the elections and after all the hard work, the elections are
almost over. I want to thank those who helped in making sure that we have peace
today. Leading in this line is President Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigeria Police
Force, other security agencies, the Peace committee, civil society groups. But
it is not yet over because elections are yet to be concluded in three states.”
Ex-IGPs regret sack, say
action killing police force
Meanwhile, some former
Inspectors-General of Police have expressed reservations over Abba’s sack,
saying the action of the President and others in the past was killing the
Nigerian Police Force.
Speaking on behalf of his
colleagues, former Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim Attah
expressed regret that with the sacking of Abba, the Nigerian Police Force has
produced six different Inspectors-General of Police within a period of six
years, noting that by so doing, the best trained officers of the force were
being eased out at such fast pace without equally well-trained and
well-experienced replacements.
Noting that if reasons
for Abba’s removal which were attributed to political issues were true, Attah
said:
“Then I think it is not
good for somebody who is an IGP not to be allowed to do his job. He is a
professionally trained officer. In fact, I read it two days before his sack
that Abba will go because of certain issues about politics but before one can
say jack, Mr. President removed him. It is not the best for the police
institution.
“The young man that is
leaving (Abba), I can’t fault him for the way he did his job during the
elections. He moved officers from point A to point B because he wanted a good
job done. So they cannot say he was partial. He knows his officers. If Abubakar
is good for Sokoto, he posted him there, if Ikechukwu is good for Ebonyi, he
posted him there. It is when you see him collecting money that you can sanction
him and that is not the case.
“I don’t think the Prime
Minister of Britain would get involved in such a thing. The American ambassador
was at Force Headquarters to commend the IGP for a marvellous job during
elections, the next thing, the IGP is being sacked. I hope this will be the
last of it.
“Do not get me wrong.
Both Abba and Arase are officers who grew up under us. Arase, Abba and some
others are very intelligent officers, professionals to the core but their breed
are few and adequate training has not been impacted in the force to produce
others like them. Aside from this, Arase according to the law is supposed to
retire soon.
“So the Police, as it is
now, are gradually being moved to ground zero. Why I am not happy is that we
are doing these things and we are not thinking about training and improving the
capacity for the force.”
On how it can be averted
On how incidents like
this can be averted in future, the former IGP said such bodies like the Council
of State for former heads of state, Council of Chief Justices and other retired
senior judges who are consulted from time to time, should be constituted for
the police that will involve retired IGP’s, who will be consulted when such
issues arise.
“The truth is that you
have to bring up the police force that we deserve. If you train them shabbily
and there are no good accommodation and nobody cares, ours is just to see the
policeman on duty, the policeman makes his uniform, buys his beret, then these
things will manifest.
“Also, something must be
done in the area of training so that as the hierarchy is going, the ones taking
over are seen to be capable to do the job. Many retired IGPs are not happy
about what is going on because it is killing the force.”
Leaders differ on IGP’s
sack
Also, barely a day after
the sack of Abba, northern leaders have differed on the action, saying that it
portends a bad omen for the country.
Second Republic lawmaker,
Dr. Junaid Mohammed, described the removal of Abba as a political vendetta
carried out to massage the political ego of Jonathan and his grieving party,
the PDP, having lost the elections to the opposition All Progressives Congress,
APC.
Mohammed said that the
sack of the police officer was not only ill-timed but carried out without any
justifiable reasons that Nigerians of good conscience could applaud.
The former presidential
aide said although Abba did not impress him as a professional police officer
given his role in the National Assembly imbroglio of last year, it was wrong
for the President to fire him from his post on account of doing his job to
satisfy the larger interest of the country.
He said that it was also
wrong for sitting presidents to appoint senior police officers principally on
the basis of supporting the government in power to win elections or fire them
in the event of losing grounds.
“We must begin to appoint
senior police officers on the basis of competence and merit so that they can
help in sustaining and implementing the criminal justice system and add value
to our democracy,” Mohammed said.
“Any attempt by any
government in Nigeria to choose and pick partisan elements to occupy top posts
in the Nigerian Police with a view to assisting the government in power to win
elections is against the spirit and character of the Nigerian constitution and
will never work.”
But the President of the
Northern Elders’ Council, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, argued that President Jonathan
might have had a more serious reason for relieving the IGP of his post and should
not be condemned for playing his constitutional role.
Yakassai, who spoke in an
interview with Vanguard,
said it was too early for Nigerians to begin to blame Jonathan for his action,
asking them to find out why the police officer was fired barely a few weeks to
the end of the administration that brought him to power.
The presidential adviser to
former President Shehu Shagari said: “I believe that there must be a more
serious reason for the action of the president than what is currently being
bandied about in the media. “Nigerians may never know the true position on the
removal of the IGP but they need to find out before advancing reasons.”
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