I PRAY ONE OF MY SONS JOINS THE POLICE — IGP ABBA

For acting inspector-general of police IGP Suleiman Abba, one thing he is confident about is that he is not worried about the issue of tenure of office. According to the chief crime fighter who became the 17th IGP, how long he would spend in office does not cause him sleepless nights.
Abba made this known during a courtesy visit to the LEADERSHIP headquarters Wednesday during which he unveiled the wish closest to his heart concerning his children. He also affirmed that if there was anything he would leave behind at retirement, it would be to entrench a police force with effective ethical police officers in an efficient organisation.
The acting IGP stated: “In one word, I will like to be remembered as an IGP who made sure we have ethical police officers who were effective and whose organisation, the Nigeria Police Force, was efficient. That’s what I look forward to and, incidentally, that is the vision of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Let me tell you, people don’t like saying it: I’m a father of nine children from one woman. Six of them are boys and three are girls. My prayer is that at least one of those boys should be a police officer.”
Abba, who had told journalists during the handing and taking over ceremony between him and the former IGP that he did not like prepared speeches, fielded questions from LEADERSHIP editors like an intelligent police officer who would not be caught napping. Every question had a ready but apt answer.
On the issue of child sexual abuse, the IGP gave an insight into the challenges of dealing with such heinous crimes, stressing that the difficulties of ignorance and wrong beliefs were major stumbling blocks in getting justice for victims.
He said: “Let me start by telling you that, in appreciation of fighting crimes that are naturally against children, not only that I know they are very serious offences carrying very long jail terms, but out of concern as a father and as a son too, let me tell you: the situation is very serious and worrisome too, particularly when you know some of the reasons why they commit it.
“I was deputy commissioner of police in Kano and I was also acting commissioner of police in Kano. I think it is worse in states where people have the belief that if you defile a small girl, your sickness, including AIDS, will be cured. Now the thing is as serious as that. It then means that they are not only motivated by satisfying themselves but also by the need perhaps to get ‘cured’ of certain diseases.
“It then means that the whole thing is moved by ignorance and perhaps a lot of societal problems with regards to our values. So getting over it would require the involvement of all. The schools would need to re-orientate our children to let them know that this is the natural way, and you have to get to a certain age before you can even get involved in it. The religious leaders, both the imams and pastors, would really need to preach strongly against these activities.
“On our own part, we make sure that when offences like that are committed, we don’t, in any way, compound them. But the problem is that there are still other problems borne out of ignorance –ignorance in the sense that there is also the problem of protecting the victim. So you wouldn’t want a situation where it will be made public.”
The IGP who pointed out that getting officers and men to be hardworking, honest and humane did not require just money, however, said that he had received assurances from the appropriate authorities that budgetary allocations would be made available as and when due.
Source: Leadership