Anxiety has gripped the ranks of senior police officers in the country as incumbent Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and about 68 senior police officers are due for retirement.
The exercise may result in a clean sweep of the police senior officers rank and pave way for the controversial Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, said to be enjoying the support of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, whose Okrika, Rivers State’s kinsmen rallied against his purported redeployment last week in Port-Harcourt, the state capital.
Indeed, Daily Newswatch investigations showed that Abubakar, from Zamfara State, North-West geopolitical zone of the country, was born in 1958 and enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on July 30, 1979. Consequently, the IGP is due for retirement on July 30, 2014, based on the mandatory retirement age. This is barely more than six months from now, with the remaining period more like the icing on the cake for a glorious career that has spanned decades and to wish the police institution a deserved goodbye.
Abubakar is, however, said to be seeking tenure extension, which may make him superintend the 2015 General Elections. But this is only possible if he gets the nod from the Presidency, which sources confided in Daily Newswatch is unlikely.
Commenting on the issue, the former Lagos State Police Commissioner, Abubakar Tsav said “the Inspector General of Police deserves tenure elongation and the authority should grant him. The appearance and image of police have changed from what they used to be. The Boko Haram issue is out of the point. Note that the IGP inherited it from his predecessor, and to use that as a benchmark against him is to do our conscience a disservice.
“Honestly, I see him as one of the best refined officers in the Nigerian Police of today. The man deserves to be praised and his work worthy of emulation.”
For social critic and an Ijaw, Joseph Eva, “the IGP we have is merry making. I think he was brought in to quell the insurgency of Boko Haram. The question is whether he has succeeded or not. I would have expected him to go with the Service Chiefs.
Only last Thursday, the Presidency announced the changes in the nation’s Military High Command, which led to the sacking of the Service Chiefs. The exercise saw Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah replacing Lieutenant-General Azubike Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin took over from Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba as Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu replaced Air Marshal Badeh as Chief of Air Staff.
Air Marshal Badeh was redeployed as the new Chief of Defence Staff, the most senior post in the military, replacing Admiral Ola Ibrahim.
Characteristic of similar changes in the past, no reason was given for the exercise. But coming amid growing concern about the police and military’s failure to end the Boko Haram insurgency, Daily Newswatch learnt that the exercise could be linked to this, especially as President Goodluck Jonathan brazes up to tame terrorism, against which the administration is said to be devising new tactics.
A security expert said: “I think this is performance-related; the security teams appeared to have had a bad record recently. The Air Force base attack (in Maiduguri, Borno State) was shocking.”
Of course, before the recent change of the Service Chiefs, the Nigerian Army had had its own internal shake-up of senior and mid-level positions in December, 2013. Thus, in the same vein, Daily Newswatchinvestigations indicated that it could just be the turn of the police, with many of the most senior officers falling due in retirement.
Daily Newswatch learnt that apart from IGP Abubakar, other officers due for the retirement include, DIG Emmanuel Kachich Udoigi from Umunneochi in Abia State, who was born on September 9, 1954, and enlisted on July 15, 1980, due to be retired on January 15, 2014; and Abdulraham Ola Akano from Boripe in Osun State, born on June 22, 1954, enlisted on August 1, 1980, due to be retired on June 22, 2014.
And in the gaze of the retirement in the police, last Thursday, two Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo ans Philemon Leha, were pulled out of service after their mandatory retirement age. Akpoyibo was in charge of training and Leha in charge of Operations, they had both served for more than three decades in the police.
Police sources also revealed that two other DIGs, John Haruna from Kilamido from Taraba State, born on August 16, 1956, enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on June 5, 1978, and due for retirement on June 5, 2014, and Jubril Adeniyi would have been due for retirement alongside the present IGP, but they had passed on. Also, over 21 Assistant Inspectors-General of police may have to resign or be retired in order to pave way for CP Mbu Joseph Mbu, who is widely believed to be a strong contender for the next IGP position.
Investigations also revealed that other commissioners of police in other state commands in the country will really have no choice than to abide by the appointment from the Presidency when it so chooses. A source from the Police Service Commission, who pleaded anonymity, said “the choice of IGP is based both on professionalism and political colouration; no administration puts such a sensitive position in the hand of its opponent who may turn the apple cart.”
Daily Newswatch investigations indicated that it is not unlikely that the performance of Mbu in Rivers State as the state’s commissioner has impressed the Presidency, which has shunned all calls from the opposition to remove him from the state.
Mbu, who enlisted into the police on April 30, 1984, with AP No 24190 from Etung Local Government Area in Cross River State, was born on April 10, 1958, is due to be retired on April 10, 2018, about five years from now. Like the new Service Chiefs, Mbu is relatively young in service compared to others and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree.
Source: Daily Newswatch
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