•Tasks ahead of IGP Idris
Last week Tuesday, Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Ibrahim Kpotun Idris took over as Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), following the approval of his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari. He replaces Mr Solomon Arase who retired after serving as IGP for 14 months. Idris’ appointment effectively ended the career and ambition of six Deputy Inspectors-General of Police as well as several Assistant Inspectors-General of Police. They are to be retired in line with the convention in the police and the armed forces whenever a junior colleague is appointed as head.
Before his appointment, Idris was in charge of Operations at the Force Headquarters. He was at different times Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa and Kano states. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and another in law. He had also won a ‘Medal of Merit’ in international peace-keeping operations.
Like most of his predecessors, the new IGP has spoken on some of his plans for the police force. He has, for instance, promised that the police would be guided by internationally acceptable standards and that he would tackle corruption in the force headlong. Mr Idris said gone were those days when complaints by the citizens against the police would be treated with levity. He also promised to provide forensic libraries in all the geopolitical zones of the country as well as establish a criminal data base in police commands in order to enhance investigations into criminal matters and provide working uniforms to policemen so as to improve physical comportment of officers.
These are lofty dreams; but, there is a wide world of difference between dreams and deeds, especially if our experiences with some of Mr Idris’ predecessors are anything to go by. Of course, we know this is due to several factors; some within the powers of the police chiefs and others clearly beyond them. It is common knowledge, for instance, that the police are grossly underfunded and this manifests in several ways, from lack of logistics to welfare matters.
Today, Nigerians are still contending with armed robberies, kidnappings and terrorism. The police must be ahead of criminals if they are to make any impact in the fight against crime. The intelligence units have to be retuned such that they would be proactive in nipping crimes in the bud rather than reacting after they have been committed.
We are happy that Mr. Idris has promised not to toy with complaints against his men; he must see this through because some policemen see their uniform and the arms they bear on behalf of the state as instruments to terrorise rather than protect the citizenry. This has only alienated the people and denied the force the intelligence they need to crack crimes.
While it is gratifying that the courts are convicting some of them these days, such senseless killings are better prevented because even if the trigger-happy policemen are killed, that would not bring back the innocent people shot by them. A popular inscription in many police stations and formations nationwide is; “the police is your friend”. Mr. Idris should take this beyond the level of rhetoric to that of actualisation.
One other area where the police did not fare well was in the conduct of elections, especially last year. Mr. Idris would therefore do well to let the officers and men know that their loyalty is first to the nation and not to any individual or political party; so, they must discharge their duties in the most professional manner, without fear or favour. The police are crucial to the survival of democracy in the country.
We congratulate Mr Arase for his successful retirement and wish him success in his future endeavours. We also welcome Mr. Idris on board. He has to bring to bear his knowledge, exposure, integrity and professionalism into his job, especially at this time that the country is going through serious security challenges.