Meet one of the officers who may succeed IGP if…

… Buhari meets Idris, mulls IGP’s tenure extension

With expiration of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, on Thursday, there is palpable anxiety in the polity, over the rumoured extension by President Muhammadu Buhari, especially as the elections draw closer.

While many stakeholders expected Idris to have commenced his pre-retirement leave to clear the coast for a replacement in acting capacity ahead of Senate confirmation, Buhari met with the IGP in Aso Rock yesterday behind closed doors after the Jumma’at prayer session inside the President’s office.

Our correspondent gathered that the meeting may not be unconnected with the retirement age of the IGP, and there are insinuations could be extended by the President. Reports indicate that Idris was expected to retire from service on attainment of the mandatory 35 years in service last Thursday.

It was unclear what the fate of the police boss would be after yesterday’s meeting with the President. Idris, the nation’s 19th Inspector General of Police, was appointed by President Buhari on March 21, 2016, to replace Solomon Arase, who retired from the police force on June 21, 2016.

The 59- year old Niger State-born police boss enlisted into the Nigerian Police Force in 1984, after graduating from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. Speculations have been rife that at the attainment of the Idris’ mandatory retirement age of 60 years of service in the police on Wednesday, January 3, the President may extend it for some period of time given that the country is on the verge of national elections in few weeks away.

Many top officers in the force, including the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had argued that the conduct of the Police under Idris, may have left much to be desired, hence their opposition to tenure extension. Also, the Senate, Police and major stakeholders had been divided over moves by the Senate to be fully involved in the screening, confirmation and subsequent removal of the Inspector- General of Police, IGP. So far, the Presidency, the appointing authority, has yet to make its position public, regardless of the agitations.

“It is the prerogative of President Buhari and I can tell you that he is favourable disposed to tenure extension for Idris as he did to all current service chiefs early last year,” a top source said. Idris’ appointment in 2016, first as the acting Inspector General of Police by President Buhari led to forceful retirement of seven DIGs as well as 21 Assistant Inspectors General from the Force. While the DIGs were his seniors, the latter were either his superiors or course mates. The DIGs swept by the Tsunami then were Danazumi Doma, who was in charge of Finance and Administration, Sotonye Wakama, in charge of Operations and Mamman Tsafe, who was in charge of Logistics and Supplies.

Others were Kakwe Tsatso, Criminal Investigations and Intelligence; Hashimu Argungu, Training; Jubril Adeniji, Research and Planning; and Chintua Amajor-Onu, in charge of Information and Communication Technologies. The retired AIGs included Bala Hassan; Yahaya Ardo; Irmiya Yarima; Danladi Mshebwala; Tambari Mohammed; Bala Magaji Nasarawa; Musa Abdulsalam; Adisa Bolanta and Mohammed Gana.

Others were Umaru Manko; Lawal Tanko; Olufemi Adenike; Johnson Ogunsakin; Adenrele Shinaba; James Caulcrick; Olufemi Ogunbayode; Edgar Nanakumo; Kalafite Adeyemi; Patrick Dokumor; Joseph Mbu and Sabo Ringim. The retirement caused no little rancour in the force because the affected career officers had neither reached the mandatory retirement age of 60, no had they served for up to 35 years. The then Chairman of the Commission, Sir Mike Okiro, (IGP rtd) had “congratulated the affected officers for their meritorious service to the nation and wished them well in their new endeavours.”

While the nation waits with bated breath for the Presidency’s position, Saturday Telegraph peeps into the profiles of the seven Deputy Inspectors- General (DIGs) of Police, who constitute the Police Management Team (PMT). Upon his appointment in 2016, the following officers were elevated and they formed Idris’ pioneer PMT and were elevated to the rank of DIG.

They were former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Shuaibu Gambo, who became DIG, Department of Finance and Administration; Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Joshak Habila, DIG, Department of Operations; and former Commissioner of Police (CP), Kano, Mr. Maigari Abbati Dikko, DIG, Department of Logistics and Supply. Others were Commissioner of Police H. M. Dagala – DIG, Department of FCIID; Emmanuel T. Inyang – DIG, Department of Training and Development; Ntom Chukwu, DIG, Department of Research and Planning, Folusho A. Adebanjo – DIG, Department of ICT; and Abdul Bube – AIG Force Secretary. But following the retirement of some of them, current postings of DIGs contained in an internal signal released on October 18, 2018 indicated that Mr. Maigari Abbati Dikko (fdc) is the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Department of Finance and Administration, while Mr. Habila Joshak is the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations. Mr. Emmanuel T. Inyang (mni) is the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Mr. Agboola Oshodi- Glover (mni) is the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Logistics and Supply; Mr. Musa Katsina Muhammed (mni) is the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Research and Planning. Also, Mr. Mohammed Sani Usman is the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Training and Development and Mrs. Peace Ibekwe Abdallah is the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation. Sources said that from available records, some of the most prominent DIGs with sterling records who could be considered are as follows:

Habila

Joshak Habila, from Plateau State, was DPO, Ikeja, Area Commander F and later became DCP, Abia State. In 2015, he became Abia State Commissioner of Police, where he confronted the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Besides quelling a number of gathering of IPOB, the command under his leadership made spirited efforts to locate the studio of Radio Biafra, which broadcasts on the FM frequency band, despite recent claims by the Nigerian Communication Commission that it had jammed its frequency. He was later appointed Compol Mopol and later CP, Federal Operations working under DIG Operation before his elevation in July 2016. As DIG Operation, he headed the Mopol and major election duties throughout the country in the past years.

Oshodi-Glover

Oshodi-Glover, was an ACP in Lagos over a decade ago, and later became DCP at the Force Headquarters before his elevation to CP and posting to Kogi State. He was first posted to Zone 4 in Makurdi and later became AIG, Zone 11, with Headquarters in Osogbo, Osun State. Following his elevation to the rank of DIG, he was sent to the Department of Logistics And Supply, a mix of technical business and administrative concerns of the entire Nigeria Police. The department comprises other sections under it namely: Force Quarter-Master, Administration Cooperative, Procurement, Works, Housing, Board of Survey and Enquiry. He is from Lagos State.

Peace Ibekwe Abdallah

The DIG, Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, Mrs. Peace Ibekwe- Abdallah, from Anmabra State was born on April 7, 1963 at Odoje in Onitsha, Anambra State. She joined the police as a cadet ASP at age 29, apparently with the support of her father, Mike Ibekwe who retired as a commissioner of police. She shot into limelight as Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State where she restored peace among many warring communities where the Okada Riders Union in the state conferred with the title of “NNE Oma (good mother) of Ebonyi State”.

A no-nonsense but ever smiling intelligence officer, in 2016, Abdallah had one Ndubuisi Ewerem, a police officer, arrested for allegedly defiling a seven-year-old girl, stating: “We don’t tolerate such act in the Nigerian Police Force. Whether rape or not, any act of defilement is a very serious crime which must be dealt with. The suspect is under detention.”

She was elevated to the rank of AIG early in 2018 and upon the retirement of DIG Sotomchukwu she was promoted to the rank of DIG later that year to fill the South- East slot on the Police Management Team. She is married to Mustapha Abdallah, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The manner of retirement from the police and appointment of Inspector General of Police which have been at the behest of successive President have created disaffection even prompting legal action against the force. Under the Yar’Adua administration, a more junior officer was picked for appointment as the IG, senior officers in the Force were not told to go.

At the retirement of Mike Mbama Okiro as the 13th Inspector General of Police, his number two and Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Administration, DIG Ogbonna Onovo, was appointed next Inspector General of Police by former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007. Onovo before his appointment had been number two to former IGP, Sunday Gabriel Ehindero but didn’t get the appointment then until the retirement of Okiro, yet he was not told to go.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on September 8, 2010, fired Onovo and appointed Hafiz Ringim to succeed him as Inspector General of Police. Ringim, was a junior officer in the hierarchy when he was appointed Acting IGP from a distant 10th position below other officers.

This had introduced a very grave and dangerous precedent into the Force. There was the belief that all the nine senior officers, DIGs Uba Ringim, Israel Ajao, Uzoma Declan, Haruna Ahmadu, Olusegun Efuntayo and Udo Ekpoudom; inclduing AIGs, Mrs. Ivy Okoronkwo, Azubike Udah and Dawodu) and Hafiz Ringim, were punished with Onovo for the failures of the Nigeria Police under Onovo’s leadership to deal effectively with internal security challenges in the country.

The Police Reform Committee headed by late Retired IGP M.D Yusuf had recommended in its report on which a white paper was produced that the appointment of IGP, in the best interest of the Police Force, Society and Country, should be based on seniority and merit “where there is no case of established misdemeanors against any officer in contention,” to avoid creating terrible bad blood in the force.

A retired Inspector- General of Police who was a member of the Committee said national interest and compliance with extant laws should take preeminence over primordial interest in appointment of IGP, because several organizations have expressed displeasure over the performance of the service chiefs in the last two years. Force PRO, DCP Jimoh Moshood, could not be reached on the issue yesterday as his aide who picked his call said he was at a meeting.

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