The Nation Newspaper

Tag: IGP Idris

  • Senate, IGP Idris and rule of law

    THE last two weeks have been galling for the National Assembly, Nigeria’s most critical symbol of democracy. Twice the Senate invited the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to answer questions on the ongoing killings in parts of the country and the Dino Melaye affair, particularly the apparent mistreatment of the Kogi West senator. But twice the IGP declined to honour the invitation, citing a number of extraneous excuses. Both the invitation and the shunning of the invitation have implications for Nigerian democracy.

    Mr Idris was first invited to interact with the Senate on April 26. Since he declined the invitation with a belated excuse issued verbally, the lawmakers rescheduled the invitation for May 2. Hoping perhaps to deflect the consequences of shunning the invitation, and expecting that he could whip up public sentiment in his favour and against a parliament to which many Nigerians had either become indifferent or revolted, the IGP caused to be issued on April 30 a public effrontery setting out why he ignored the lawmakers. The statement itself was a study in public affront.

    After setting out why he thought he acted within his powers to delegate his second-in-command to attend to the Senate’s queries, Mr Idris, through the Force public relations officer, Jimoh Moshood, threw down the gauntlet: “The Nigeria Police Force is a law abiding organization and holds the Senate and its leadership in high esteem. However the Force wishes to impress on the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not to personalise or trivialise the criminal offenses (Criminal Conspiracy and Unlawful Possession of Prohibited Firearms and other sundry offenses) indicting Sen. Dino Melaye from confessions of two (2) suspected kidnappers and Armed Robbers namely: Kabiru Saidu a.k.a Osama and Nuhu Salisu a.k.a Small in Lokoja on the 19th of March, 2018. Considering all the above, the Senate should allow the rule of law and justice to prevail in this matter.”

    It is not clear how the IGP thought the police were a law-abiding organisation, having just declined the parliament’s invitation, not once but twice. Nor, going by his extremely intemperate observation about police duties and organisational structure, is it any clearer whether policemen as law enforcement agents actually understand the law. Worse, by impudently impressing it on the Senate not to “personalise or trivialise” the Sen Melaye affair, it seemed abundantly clear just what the police thought of the highest lawmaking body in Nigeria. It is doubtful indeed whether in penning their saucy rebuke of the Senate the police have either a deep or at least commonsensical understanding of the role of a parliament in a democracy.

    Like many Nigerians, the police have chosen unwisely and ignorantly to view the Senate as an institution to be coterminous with its generally unflattering reputation. Widely viewed as rapacious — a point ‘impressed’ on Nigerians by both ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, and now Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi — self-centred, combative and insolent, the Senate is believed by many Nigerians to be incapable of putting even one foot right. In addition, given the controversial manner in which the principal officers of the 8th Senate took office, many Nigerians generalise the Senate to be lacking in legitimacy. And finally, considering the unearthly earnings the senators have managed to appropriate for themselves in the midst of widespread poverty and infrastructural collapse, quite a significant number of Nigerians, it seems, will be happy to see the parliament sacked or defanged.

    Though they are capable of far worse behaviour, not to say abominable dereliction of duty, the police may themselves be cashing in on this public disenchantment with the parliament to justify their rudeness to the lawmaking body. But if anybody or organisation should disrespect the parliament, the police, by nature and duty, should be the last to engage in such abhorrence. What the attitude of the IGP and the imperious statement he issued have shown is that Nigeria is witnessing deep fissures in the body politic. Mr Idris could not have behaved so atrociously or author that very disrespectful April 30 statement without some support from higher quarters. It is possible the trip with the president to Bauchi had been planned before the Senate invitation reached him. But if he had respect for the parliament, he would have mentioned the summons to the president. And if the president knew the value of the parliament and rightly esteemed and situated the institution within the context of democracy and national stability, he would have ordered the IGP to honour the invitation. It is inconceivable that the IGP kept silent about the invitation, and that the president was himself unaware of the widely reported invitation to an officer who had once been egregiously insubordinate to him.

    But not only were there no indications that both the president and the IGP handled the matter deftly, there was no mention by the police boss that he showed any consideration whatsoever in the discharge of his duties or his attitude to the parliament. In any case, when the Senate sensibly extended the invitation by another one week, perhaps to give the IGP enough rope to hang himself, Mr Idris took off to Kaduna State to attend, as he suggested implausibly, to the worsening security situation in Birnin Gwari. It was clear he had no intention of honouring the Senate invitation, or at least not as soon as he received it. There is also no doubt that Mr Idris has very little understanding of the place of a parliament in a democracy, especially in Nigeria’s tottering democracy to which the Senate, despite its obvious and galling weaknesses, has been more responsive than the police has shown depth, imagination and ethicalness in law enforcement.

    Even if their invitation to Mr Idris was ‘personal’ and ‘trivial’, the Senate still reserves the right to ask to meet with the police over the evident mistreatment, if not persecution, the supposedly loathsome Sen Melaye had received at the hands of the police. It may not occur to the police and to those who still find it difficult to divorce the person from the issue, but the unprofessional manner the IGP has handled the Melaye affair, especially the widely held suspicion that the police were acting at the behest of the Kogi State governor with whom the senator was locked in political battle, required the attention of fellow lawmakers. Sen Melaye is still a senator, and the mistreatment and indignity he has suffered rub off on the image of the Senate. There was nothing in what the police presented to the public to suggest that adequate investigations had been done in the mater to warrant the brutal but figurative execution of the image and person of the senator. The Senate rightly showed concern, regardless of Sen Melaye’s foibles.

    More worryingly, it is strange that it has not occurred to those who defend the atrocious police approach to the affair that if a senator could be so manhandled on the basis of a shoddy and flimsy investigation, the rest of the country would be fair game for a law enforcement body more notorious for damning and implicating the innocent than exposing the guilty. The police handling of the Melaye affair, like the many negative portraitures of Nigerians by Nigerian leaders during their foreign trips, has done a lot of damage to the image of the country. If Nigerians lack the decency and common sense to treat one another fairly and decorously, they are merely exhibiting to the world just how poorly they esteem the human person.

    The IGP may lack the depth of understanding to handle the Senate invitation and the Melaye affair with the circumspection expected of his office, but the problem is even much worse than seems apparent. The executive, which should deter public appointees from insulting and affronting the parliament, has been unenthusiastic in playing the role of the best and most powerful defender of democracy. The reason is not far-fetched. The presidency and their supporters view the parliament with suspicion and fear bordering on disgust and disdain. Since the Senate has informally turned itself into probably the most potent opposition to the Buhari presidency, the government may be disinclined from taking any step to strengthen the parliament. This is short-sightedness at its worst. Past presidents took similar steps either to compromise the parliament or weaken it. Now, they probably regret their roles in fostering the parliament’s own failings, and exacerbating the existential crisis Nigerian democracy appears to be facing today.

    The Excess Crude Account (ECA) controversy in which about $500m was withdrawn without appropriation in February, a disturbing fact that came to public knowledge only last month, indicates just how gingerly democracy is perched on the edge of disaster or authoritarianism. But much more critically, it also indicates how superficially the executive branch appreciates the role of a parliament in a democracy, and how the parliament’s balancing role, even if led and inspired by intraparty and interparty opposition, is apt to be interpreted as disrespectful of the presidency or subversive of its agenda. Senate president Bukola Saraki, apart from the suspicion about where his loyalties lie, is considered as the personification of that hurtful opposition. But by being incapable of differentiating between the person and even image of Sen Saraki on the one hand, and the sanctity and independence of the parliament on the other hand, when in fact the parliament, more than the executive, is the truest representative of Nigerian democracy, the presidency creates the worrisome impression that at bottom it could not care less what happens to democracy. This summation is incontrovertible, for the Nigerian presidency under Muhammadu Buhari, has more or less given the impression it prefers to operate as a monarchy.

    By dealing with Sen Melaye as brutally as they have done, and by refusing to honour the Senate’s invitation, the police have disrespected the parliament and sneered at democracy. They may not like Senators Saraki and Melaye, and a vast majority of Nigerians may find the parliament greedy and grabbing, but they will be foolish to do the nauseous bidding of an executive branch that shows a proclivity for authoritarianism and finds merit in denuding the parliament of its power to check a government that alarmingly still justifies its unlawful ECA spending. It is in moments like these that the judicious wish Nigeria was running a parliamentary government, where a prime minister should think on his feet or be compelled to blanch at his own witlessness after making inane arguments.

    The Senate may already be feeling the pressures from the presidency and the colluding security agencies. Senators may even be groaning under their own failings and shortcomings. But they must not be discouraged from pressing on to the logical conclusion in tackling what is clearly budding fascism as exampled by the police. If the IGP could tell the Senate off with such brazen effrontery, asking them to eschew personal interest and triviality in the discharge of their duties, and if the police could lend themselves to the malevolent designs of a state government, there is no telling what they will do on some inauspicious tomorrow to a commoner. Now is the time to put a stop to the malady, for whether critics of the parliament like or not, democracy is clearly endangered.

  • Dapchi schoolgirl Leah Sharibu to be freed —IGP Idris

    The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, said the abducted Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu, will be freed today from the Boko Haram captivity.

    Idris spoke with newsmen when he visited the Military Command and Control Centre, Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.

    ‘Obviously, I am aware and that is what we are just discussing. I am supposed to go to Dapchi today but because of the girl, I learnt she may be released.

    “It is a sort of understanding that we do not create much security situation and I move with a helicopter. By the time I fly there, they might think I break and that was why I postponed the visit to Dapchi,” he said.

    Idris disclosed that he had directed the deployment of four mobile police men and female personnel in each of the schools in the northeast to assist in providing protection of the students and teachers.

    He said that he embarked on the assessment tour of the northeast to appraise the situation to forestall the reoccurrence of the Dapchi incident.

    “I have visited the schools to assess our deployment to the schools; I am here now to visit the military and I spoke to all my officers in the three commands, to encourage them to have a greater synergy with the military and other security agencies.

    “I believe with this we are going to have enhanced security to all communities in the northeast region”.

    Idris noted that there was significant improvement of the security situation in the region, adding that credit should go to the military and other security agencies.

    Also, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, the Theatre Commander, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, described the visit as part of mutual working relationship, adding the military and police were working as a team to facilitate successful implementation of the counter-insurgency campaign.

    Nicholas said that the military in collaboration with the police had re-opened the Maiduguri-Bama-Banki Highway, stressing that there was effective synergy between the military and police in the theatre of operation.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Idris had visited police formations, schools and liberated communities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States in the past two days. (NAN)

  • IGP Idris and the road to Golgotha

    When Ibrahim Kpotun Idris was appointed as acting Inspector-General of Police and later confirmed as a substantive one, Nigerians thought as the chief law enforcer of the federation, he will live by example, especially in the area of respecting valid court orders and constituted authority. But how wrong they were!

    Democracy all over the world is known as the government of the people, for the people and by the people. As a matter of fact, what differentiates democracy from military autocracy is the presence of the legislature and supremacy of the rule of law. That explains why the judiciary is regarded as the engine for the sustainability of any democracy, so much so that judicial (court) pronouncements are seen as second to God’s commandments.

    It is sad to note that since his appointment as the Inspector-General of Police, Idris has taken the centre-stage in allegedly disobeying court judgments with impunity and behaving as if he is above the law, which without doubt is a threat to the survival of democracy. Similarly, he has taken this antic a notch higher by disobeying resolutions of the National Assembly and recently, the flouting of a presidential directive.

    It would be recalled that when President Muhammadu Buhari visited Benue State recently, he was informed by the people of the state that contrary to his directive that Idris should to relocate to the state in the wake of the intensification of the farmers/herdsmen clashes, the IGP spent less than six hours in the state and subsequently returned to Abuja.  Surprisingly, it took the presidential visit for the nation’s number one citizen to realize that his orders have been flouted.

    This disobedience flies in the face of a similar presidential directive to the Military High Command to relocate to Maiduguri, the theatre of the Boko Haram insurgency immediately the president assumed office in 2015, which the military promptly complied with. What on earth makes the IGP feel that he can disobey presidential directive of this magnitude and get away scot-free beggars belief.

    Though, he spent less than six hours in Benue State, the IGP’s utterances during the period against the people of the state left tongues wagging. Instead of acting as an impartial arbiter, he decided to take sides with the herdsmen by attempting to rationalize their murderous escapades, which had left hundreds of innocent persons dead and several others incapacitated and displaced. And that is not all, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Jimoh Moshood openly insulted a sitting governor, Samuel Ortom, describing him as a drowning man without reprimand by the police authority. To underscore the fact the FPRO acted the script of his superior officers, he has since been rewarded with a promotion to the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police. What a country!

    For an incumbent IGP to wilfully disobey his Commander-in-Chief in such a serious (security) situation like the mind-boggling and tears-inducing massacre in Benue State poses  serious danger to the nations’ democracy, a potent threat to the survival of Nigeria as an entity and equally portrays the IGP as an unserious person and therefore, unsuitable for such a high profile office. Because of his dereliction of duty in this case, scores of innocent lives have been wasted and properties worth billions of naira destroyed.

    Surprisingly, this is the same IGP that is reputed for disobeying court orders, and still has the uncanny proclivity of rushing to the same court to seek protection and convenient escape from answering questions each time he is confronted with allegations, especially of corruption and nepotism like the ones levelled against him by Senator Isa Misau, which Nigerians thought would have afforded the IGP the opportunity to give account of his stewardship and effectively defend himself when invited by the House Committee on Police that was investigating the  allegations.

    Under this same IGP, the Nigerian Police was rated the worst police worldwide by the World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI) last year. Surprisingly, the Nigeria Police was rated behind countries like Rwanda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Congo DRC etc.

    Though, the president has reportedly queried him, Nigerians expect much more than a mere query from the president on this matter. As a matter of fact, majority of Nigerians expected him to toe the line of President Donald Trump of America, who recently fired his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson from his cabinet, by relieving the IGP of his duties. In Nigeria, political appointees are lords unto themselves, where they chose which directive of their bosses to obey and which not to obey. Little wonder, Nigeria is today at crossroads economically and politically on account of this unfortunate development.

    One fundamental area that the IGP has manifested arrogance and impunity is in flouting court judgments with reckless abandon. A veritable case in point is the sealing of the new corporate Headquarters of the Peace Corps of Nigeria in Jabi, Abuja since Tuesday, February 28, 2017. Despite the judgments of Justices Gabriel Kolawole of November 9, 2017 and John Tosho of January 15, declaring the action of the police patently illegal, subversive and consequently ordered the police to not only unseal the office, but to also pay N12.5million damages to the Corps, the IGP has contumaciously stuck to his guns and refused to unseal the office. To prove that he is simply above the law and untouchable, the IGP equally thumbed up his nose at the five letters written to him by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, advising him to comply with the court rulings. Till date, he has not been reprimanded.

    Even when the Coalition of Civil Society Organization, Justice and Equity (CCSO-JE), sent a petition against the IGP to the House Committee on Public Petitions over his refusal to obey the court rulings and the committee issued a parliamentary order that the Peace Corps should go and take over the office on two separate occasions, such attempts were frustrated by the police. The IGP, who has stuffed his ears with cotton wool in a manner of speaking, has consistently snubbed such orders and literally told the House of Representatives to go to hell.

    Nigerians are scandalized that an appointee of the president can so brazenly flout his orders with reckless impunity without being sacked. The way for President Muhammadu Buhari to regain his groove is to immediately ‘fire’ the IGP to serve as a deterrent to others.

     

    • Mallam Sabo, a public affairs analyst sent in this piece from Asokoro-Abuja.
  • Benue demands resignation of IG Idris over killings

    Benue demands resignation of IG Idris over killings

    • Says he has abdicated responsibility to protect lives, properties
    • Faults him on Senate testimony

    Police Inspector General, Idris Ibrahim, yesterday drew the ire of the  Benue State Government over his Friday testimony in the Senate during which he blamed the herdsmen killings on the anti- open grazing laws in some states.

    The government described Ibrahim’s comment as shameful and called for his immediate resignation having shown that he “is either on a mission to mislead the nation or is complicit in the attacks on Benue communities and the killing of many people by terror herdsmen.”

    “The unfortunate claim by the IGP indicates that some of those saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property as well as maintaining law and order have abdicated their duty and become accomplices with those undermining the very existence of the country,” it said in a  statement by Mr. Terver Akase, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom.

    It said that contrary to the IG’s description of the law as the cause of the killings, Fulani herdsmen attacked Benue State more than 50 times and killed scores of people before the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law was enacted in the state.

    “The law could therefore not have been the cause of the crisis,” it declared and challenged him to “tell Nigerians if states like Adamawa, Zamfara, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Enugu, Edo, Plateau among others where armed herdsmen have killed hundreds of people also have anti-open grazing laws in place.”

    Continuing, it said: “It will be recalled that a few days after the killings took place and all fingers were pointed towards the direction of armed herdsmen, the IGP quickly rose in defence of the herdsmen and frantically tried to divert attention from the genocide being perpetrated by herdsmen with a comment that it was a ‘mere communal clash’. Did he not know that there was a law in place in Benue State when he made that statement?

    “With his latest demand that the ranching law of Benue be suspended, it is now clear where the loyalty and interest of the Inspector General of Police lies – certainly not with innocent Nigerians.

    “He has now positioned himself not only as the mouthpiece of those who are killing Benue people but indeed as their shield. Little wonder herdsmen still proudly carry out sophisticated weapons and willfully terrorize innocent people in the state without being arrested.

    “We wish to place it on record that contrary to the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that the Inspector General of Police should relocate to Benue to ensure that the killings stop, the IGP spent only one day in Benue and left for a destination where only he could tell. No one has seen him in Benue since that day.

    “Nigerians must know that contrary to the statement credited to the IGP, herdsmen are still killing people in Benue.

    “It will therefore be wrong to say that enough security has been provided.

    “At the last count after the mass burial of 73 victims of the attacks, about ten people have been killed in Guma Local Government Area, one killed in Logo and many more are receiving treatment in the hospital having suffered varying degrees of injuries with property worth millions of naira destroyed.

    “Benue now has nearly 100, 000 displaced persons in seven camps established by the state government. We therefore find IG Ibrahim Idris’ statement as mockery and a shameful dance on the graves of those killed in the state by herdsmen.

    “If the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris, is not competent to help bring an end to the invasion and killing of innocent people in Benue and other states by herdsmen, the noble thing to do is to resign instead of twisting facts to suit his objective.”

  • Herdsmen crisis: Buhari orders IGP Idris relocate to Benue

    Herdsmen crisis: Buhari orders IGP Idris relocate to Benue

    President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idristo move immediately to Benue State to restore law and order and forestall the escalation of herdsmen-farmers crisis.

    Buhari gave the order on Monday night, accord to a statement by police spokesman Jimoh Moshood.

    The order came as more killings of innocent people by herdsmen in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas in Benue State were reported.

    In compliance with the order, Idris is moving into the troubled state with additional five units of Police Mobile Force (PMF).

    On Sunday, the police chief deployed, among other security measures, five MOPOL units. There are now ten of them in the crisis areas.

    More Units of the Police Special Forces, Counter Terrorism Units, and Conventional Policemen were also deployed to the State on Monday.

    “The Aerial Surveillance by Police Helicopters will continue, while the Police Mobile Force Personnel, Police Special Forces and conventional Police Personnel, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) and Special Police Joint Intelligence and Investigation Teams already deployed to Benue State will carry on relentlessly with the patrols and crime prevention activities in the affected areas to sustain the normalcy that have been restored in the State”, Moshood said.

    “The Force will not hesitate to deal decisively with trouble maker(s), any group(s) or individual for conduct likely to instigate the escalation of the crisis. The full weight of the law will be applied on anyone arrested for being responsible for the mayhem in the affected areas in the State.

    “While once again, the Nigeria Police Force commiserate with Government and the people of Benue State over the loss of innocent lives, the Force implored them to cooperate with the Nigeria Police Force in this latest effort to restore lasting peace in the State.

    “The commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure Law and order and protection of lives and property of all Nigerians throughout the Country remains unequivocal and unwavering”, Moshood said.

    At another meeting in Abuja, attended by IGP Idris, governors of Benue, Taraba, Plateau and Nasarawa, Adamawa, Niger and Kaduna States, and the Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau, a strategy to check the blood spilling between herdsmen and farmers was worked out.

    Addressing  newsmen after the meeting, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue said there was now synergy among the security agencies, the federal and state governments to combat the challenge.

    Ortom, who was joined by his Taraba counterpart, Darius Ishaku, declined to give details of the strategies, saying it was a security matter not meant for public consumption.

    “As you can see all the governors of the states where we have the most challenging security problem are here.

    “We have dialogued; we have looked at the problem with the security chiefs and appreciated each other.

    “One thing that is central is that we have agreed that killing in any form is not allowed; security men must apprehend and prosecute those responsible.

    “There is no point politicising these killings; it is the responsibility of all Nigerians to eliminate the criminality that is resulting in the killings,” Ortom said.

    The governor said it was also agreed at the meeting that Nigerians should desist from hate speeches that were fuelling the crisis.

  • How poor funding cripples our operations, by IGP Idris

    How poor funding cripples our operations, by IGP Idris

    They are usually tagged incompetent, corrupt and inefficient. Unknown to many, inadequate funding by the Federal Government is responsible for the failings of the Nigeria Police. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris makes startling revelations in his presentation at a public hearing on a proposed bill for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, reports PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

    They are awake while the rest of the country sleeps. Theirs is a profession that runs towards danger, insecurity, irrespective of time and place. Such roles, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have discharged with accolades at international operations, but same cannot be said back home.

    For so many years, the police have been condemned, blamed for insecurity across the country with many Nigerians accusing them of doing nothing in spite of the bogus resources availed them.

    The myth was however unraveled yesterday during the public hearing on the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Police Trust Fund and other related matters.

    At the hearing in Abuja, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris dropped bombshells, reeling out statistics that showed how the service was being crippled.

    Despite recommendations by the M.D. Yusuf Committee of 2008 that the police would need an estimated N2.8 trillion for capital development (N560 billion/year) within five years for effective reform, N16.1 billion was appropriated to the service last year but a paltry N10 billion was released, Idris disclosed.

    The police demanded N1.164 trillion between 2012 and last year for capital budget, out of the N64.999 billion that was appropriated, only N40.477 billion was released and cash-backed.

    For overhead allocations, N328.34 billion was requested, N39.43 was appropriated and only N32.22 was released within the period under review.

    ‘‘What is most worrisome is that though the budgetary allocations on paper are insufficient to meet the financial needs of the Force, the actual releases are far below what is budgeted,” the police chief lamented.

    Noting that the police have a fleet of 14,306 vehicles, including 3,115 motorcycles, the IGP said the Force would need N19.9 billion to minimally fuel them yearly. He said that only N809 million was released last year.

    The total average maintenance of the fleet was evaluated at N7.04 billion per year, but N486 million was released in 2016, said Idris.

    He said: ‘‘The basic requirement to provide adequate and appropriate items of kits for Police personnel annually is N14,583,671,264 as against the N1,752,500,000 earmarked in the 2017 Appropriation. This limitation negatively affects the turn-out of Police personnel.

    ‘‘Of date, there are over 7,000 Police formations and units across the federation. There is constant movement of personnel of the Force to either quell civil disturbance, contain violent crime, investigation purposes or even routine movement of personnel on transfers/posting within or outside these locations.

    ‘‘These movements entail the payment of appropriate Duty Tour Allowances (DTA), payment of allowance in lieu of hotel accommodation, etc. Unfortunately, allocation to the Force in terms of DTA is paltry. It is estimated that the Force needs over N200 billion for local travels and transport.

    ‘‘In the 2017 Appropriation, a budget of N411million is made for local travels and transport nationwide. This translates to an average of N58, 714 annually to each of the 7,000 locations or just N4, 893 monthly per formation. The implication of this is that Police officers on official assignments are not paid their DTAs, thereby making the Police to fall back on the state governments to offset some of these allowances.’’

    Decrying the conditions of police barracks, Idris noted that the existing facilities could only accommodate about seven per cent of personnel, adding that the service would need about N700 billion to rehabilitate existing stations, barracks and build new ones.

    Appealing to the National Assembly to pass the Bill, the IGP said it was expected to address issues of ICT; patrol/operational vehicles, crafts and other facilities; provision of full complement of arms/ammunition, riot control equipment, protective gears, armoury and firing/shooting range

    Others include: forensic technology/scientific aids for investigation; operational/administrative logistics; community policing project/public relations; clothing/accoutrements; construction, rehabilitation and modernisation of infrastructure/facilities for capacity building (training), as well as rehabilitation/construction of stations, barracks and personnel welfare.

    ‘‘The Police Trust Fund is crucial to the Force. If the Bill is passed into Law it will largely address the funding problems to improve on Police welfare and efficiency in the discharge of our constitutional functions.

    ‘‘It has been stated times without number that the regular source of funding for the Police, through budgetary allocation has failed to address the financial needs of the Police to provide adequate security for the Nation.’’

  • IGP Idris and the making of a new Police Force

    LAST two week’s arrest of a notorious kidnap mastermind, Chukwudidumeme Onuamadike, a.k.a.Evans by IGP’s Intelligence Response Team led by ACP Abba Kyari marks a turning point of sorts for the Nigeria Police Force which has not had a good public image for many decades. Evans, who was said to have coordinated several kidnappings in Lagos and Ogun States, was nabbed in Magodo area of Lagos State last Saturday. Until his arrest, he was regarded as the most notorious high profile kidnapper in the history of Nigeria. He was said to have collected several billions of naira as ransom in the last seven years, as kingpin of kidnappers.

    The last time policemen were seen as heroes was when men of the force arrested Lawrence Anini, a bandit who terrorised Benin in the 1980s along with his side-kick, Monday Osunbor. Acting on a tip-off, a crack 10 man team led by Superintendent of Police Kayode Uanreroro, on December 3, 1986 brought Anini’s reign of terror to an end. For decades, the conduct of police personnel has caused serious image and operational problems for the Force.

    The duties of its officers and rank and file had been compromised because theyhad tailored them chiefly to cater to the highest bidders, who could in fact be criminals that should be prosecuted, not provided cover. It is commonplace to hear allegations of corruption, incompetence, unprofessional conducts and other questionable practices that have nothing to do with normal police duty or the maintenance of law and order being levelled against police officers. But that is fast giving way to a more professional and highly motivated police force that is well equipped to cope with the challenges of contemporary policing. Although the arrest of Evans is the single most important turn around for the current leadership of the Nigeria Police, several other successes recorded in the last one year under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, point of the fact that a new Force is indeed in the making. But more significant is the fact that the IGP is not your typical Nigerian public servant who does everything to attract media attention to himself.

    Idris has every reason to attract attention to himself. Firstly, he was selected from among the eligible senior police officers because he was the only one who passed the integrity test secretly conducted by the presidency. Secondly, since his appointment exactly a year ago, he has completely repositioned the force to arguably the most efficient police force in our recent history. Testimonies to that effect abound. In February this year, the IGP Special Squad freed, Professor Peter Breunig, a German Archaeologist kidnapped by bandits in Southern Kaduna and his associate, Johannes Buringer in what was a major success in the fight against kidnapping.

    The Police also secured the release of Major General Alfred Nelson, the Deputy High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to Nigeria who was kidnapped by men of the underworld. The capture and killing of armed robbery kingpin, Henry Chibueze who terrorised the South East region of the country from his den in Imo State is another major achievement of the IGP in the last one year of his administration. Praise came for the Police boss when he successfully provided security cover for air travellers to and from Kaduna, during the temporary closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Idris deployed 350 policemen to ensure security of passengers along the Kaduna-Abuja expressway and aerial surveillance by police helicopters which assisted in checking criminal activities in the area during the period. Unlike his predecessors, Idris has ensured that police checkpoints scattered across the country are taken down.

    This order has since taken effect and has affected all the states except checkpoints within states where extraordinary measures are still in place in response to attacks blamed on the Boko Haram sects, recurring herdsmen/famers clashes or the menace of kidnapping. The nation’s most senior cop has argued at several fora, that checkpoints have their uses if they are used to specifically check crime or apprehend criminals. “But when they acquire the negative perception that they have, they become money-spinning points to which superior officers despatch their trusted subordinates to make ‘returns’ in the form of financial gratifications, then they are compromised”. Regular patrols by well motivated police personnel have effectively replaced checkpoints.

    Some of the egregious but common practices of the police, like detaining suspects without charge for more than 24 hours has been discontinued while the law on detention of persons is currently being strictly applied. On the above scores alone, IGP Idris has every reason to roll out the drums as many a public servant with far less achievements have done. But then, these are not his only achievements. Another achievement of the police high command that is unprecedented is leading role it is playing to foster inter agency cooperation to make Nigeria more safe and secure. In this breath, the IGP has strengthened the relationship between the police force and other sister security agencies through courtesy visits to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Chief of Air Staff (CAS), the Comptroller General of Customs, Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other relevant organisations.

    Similarly, the Inspector General has established the Eminent Persons Group across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT with a view to engaging all relevant stakeholders; traditional rulers, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), Market Women Association, National Union of Road Transport (NURTW) and many others to make inputs into how society can become safer and more secure.

    The Nigeria Police under IGP Ibrahim Idris is not taking the loyalty of its officers and men for granted. Rather, it is placed high premium on their welfare as a way of encouraging them to do more. Already, housing projects have commenced in many states through PPP arrangements for the construction of affordable mass housing for the officers and men of the force. Unlike in the past when policemen went on strike over their entitlements, officers now get their salaries and allowances as and when due. As a way of ensuring sustainable funding for the force, the police high command is pushing for the passage of a bill for an Act to establish Police Trust Fund Bill. The bill has reached an advanced stage in the Nationally Assembly. These efforts have not gone unnoticed on the international scene. Only recently, an international recognition came the way of the IGP, with his election, by African Police Chiefs as the Vice Chairman of the regional police body. With so many achievements in his first year in office as the nation’s number one police man, the public can only expect even better than the excellent leadership he has been providing for the force that has been acridly excoriated in the recent past. •Augustine David, is a public affairs analyst based in Benin.

  • IGP Idris as miracle worker

    With the swiftness the police investigated and arrested the Yoruba people allegedly involved in the Hausa-Fulani crisis in Ile-Ife in Osun State shows that Nigeria Police is now born again. Apart from the ethnic tendency displayed in the arrest of only Yoruba people being paraded as criminals in Abuja, no Hausa-Fulani was among the people arrested despite the fact that it takes two people to tango. Does it now mean that it is only Yoruba people that were involved in the crisis? Where is the police fairness in this case, when two people fought one is arrested and detained while the other goes scot free?

    One wonders what roused the police from their slumber that such crisis can break up the country, if it not quickly put in check. For the past two years, almost all the states in the country experienced the murderous Fulani herdsmen’s aggression, maiming and killing innocent and harmless farmers at random. With all the hues and cries of blue murder, the IGP has not given instruction for the arrest of these Fulani marauder’s, how much more parading them in public.

    Who says Nigeria is one? In Agatu land in Benue State, the fear of the Fulani herdsmen is the beginning of wisdom, so also in Kaduna South where many villages have been occupied by Fulani herdsmen, including Plateau State, just to mention a few states.

    How many of these Fulani herdsmen were arrested and paraded in the public?  None. We claim to be one Nigeria but the federal government seems to value the lives of some ethnic groups more than the others. Some are untouchables while some can perish, who cares.

    The leader of Miyetti Allah Fulani Association sometime ago agreed to some killings. One would have thought that the police would invite them for questioning but the police did not arrest any of their members but looked the other way because they are “Nigeria’s sacred cows.”

    What Fulani herdsmen are doing in Nigeria today, no other tribe can do it and go scot free. But they should remember, it will not continue like this; there will come a Pharaoh who will not know Joseph.

    Nigeria as a country has reaped the fruit of neglecting Boko  Haram, that of Fulani herdsmen expansionist will be worse because they are well distributed all over the states in Nigeria.

    • From Israel Oyegbile

    Sabo Tasha, Kaduna.

  • Bida agog as Etsu Nupe honours IGP Idris, others

    Bida agog as Etsu Nupe honours IGP Idris, others

    Three men and a boy french-kissed, romanced and inserted live snakes inside their boxers as they danced to the cheering of an amazed crowd. With them were another magical group using very sharp swords, knives on their bodies with no sign of injury.

    These were some of the performance at the palace of the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar  on Saturday, where hundreds of dignitaries from across the country converged for the monarch’s 13th anniversary/civic reception in honour of the Inspector General of Police  (IGP) Ibrahim Idris and other illustrious Nupe indigenes.

    Idris was also honoured at his hometown, Kutigi on Sunday as his kinsmen gave him souvenirs, such as handfans, mats and fabric with his name inscribed on them.

    At the ceremonies were the Governors of Cross River and Edo State, Prof. Ben Ayade and Godwin Obaseki; Niger State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Ketso; Chairman, Police Service Commission  (PSC) IGP Mike Okiro  (rtd); former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Idris Kutigi; former IGP Suleiman Abba; Former Deputy Governor, Niger State, Mohammed Ibeto, the Olukpoti of Ikpoti-Ekiti, James Oladipupo; Prof. Ibrahim Adamu Kolo; former Sports Minister, Alhaji Sani Ndanusa, Pro-Chancellor, IBB University, Alhaji Mohammed Kodo Santuraki and Chairman, All Progressives Congress’ (APC), Kano State, Prince Abdulahi Abbas.

    Others include Deputy Inspector Generals of Police (DIG) Maigari Dikko, Joshak Habila, HM Dagala, SL Gambo, Assistant Inspector-Generals of Police (AIG) Lawal Shehu and Ali Amodu (rtd.); Commissioners of Police (CP) Rabiu Yusuf, Emmanuel Amore, Kabiru Muazu, Alikali Shaba, Zaki Mohammed and UU Shehu, as well as traditional rulers from the Eastern and Southern parts of the country.

    Aside the snake and knife dancers, the Nupe masquerades, Ndakogbaya, costumed like a plan

    stone, marvelled the guests with its performance, just as warriors exhibited their skills. There was also a group of fishermen, who left the invitees in awe after a live fish was ‘caught’ on the stage which had no water.

    Thanking the President for appointing Idris, Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello urged youths to eschew violence.

    Bello who was represented by his deputy, Ketso appealed to the youths to shun alcohol, noting that it could influence them to act negatively.

    He also tasked them to pray for IGP Idris, the state and the nation at large for peace and stability, assuring that the government would do all within its power to deliver democratic dividends.

    Okiro: I was invited by the Etsu Nupe for his 13th anniversary on the throne. We are here to celebrate with his highness and then receive one of our own, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris.

    Ayade who commended the Etsu for introducing the Nupe Foundation ICT Centre, noted that such initiatives would advance knowledge and drive development.

    He said: “I am particularly pleased with the ICT project by the Etsu Nupe, which is knowledge based and the future of the world. This is a lesson for us as Governors, to recognise the fact that autonomous based communities and ethnic nationalities are veritable channels to programme a better future for our youths and next generation.

    “I think Niger State is very qualified to start up their own carnival because they have diverse cultural heritage. I believe the time has come for them to start thinking of a cultural carnival of some sort. I have seen that the Nupe people have very wonderful culture that we, the people of Cross River would have to learn. I confirmed that the Nupe people are predominantly warriors when I watched the dance and different performances. The people of Cross River State are very proud to identify with the IGP.”

    Obaseki described the event as remarkable, colourful and significant, adding that the Nupe Kingdom, like Benin, has strongly rooted ancient cultures.

    He said: “On the part of the Etsu Nupe, I see a very determined king who is making conscious efforts to take his people to the path of development. He is our friend and father in Edo State and he also honoured my predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole with the title of Tafida Rayan Kasan Nupe.

    “Culture is a very powerful unifying tool for national integration, but some people misuse it and use it to divide us. Nigeria has always been one united family, which is an almmaga of different cultures.

    Kodo said it was a well-deserved honour, noting that IGP Idris has a striking humility.

    An overwhelmed Idris thanked his people for the honour, noting that their prayers and blessing saw him through life.

    He said: “It is always good to be back home. I am your child and I am here by God’s grace. It is your blessing and prayers that has kept me all the while.

    “As we mark the 674th annual Gani festival, it is clear that the festival is as old as Kutigi itself. Let this mark the beginning of cultural rebirth. Our youths must embrace cosmopolitan nature and embrace people from different places for peace and economic prosperity. Let us be our brother’s keeper and avoid acts that could lead to break down of law and order.”

  • IGP Idris: Policing with integrity

    IGP Idris: Policing with integrity

    Historically, the Nigeria Police has suffered what some public commentators refer to as integrity crises. As a colonially created institution, sustained on the pedestal of authoritarianism by post colonial elite, weighed down by inadequate funding and remunerations and poor training facilities, the image of Nigerian police has been everything but encouraging, especially in the area of human rights protection.

    The images and character the force created for itself has portrayed it as an enemy of the ordinary man instead of being a friend and protector of people’s rights and interests. Until recently, the concept of human rights was conspicuously absent in police’s activities while focusing on it in its training programs was least. While it is obvious that men and women whose duty it was to carry out police assignment in the past did not live up to expectation, the past government should be blamed for the abysmal reputation of the Nigeria Police.

    The image of the Nigeria Police as it were was so bad that the sighting of a policeman was synonymous with seeing an enemy of the people. This is because most aspects of Nigeria police work, as far as internal policing is concerned, were, in the real sense, nothing to write home about. Granted, Nigeria Police’s international image and reputation are ahead of their internal images, as they have occasionally performed brilliantly in international operations. The question has therefore been why have the police in Nigeria routinely failed to adequately carry out their statutory responsibilities at home while excelling on external assignments?

    The simple answer to this lies in the fact that internally, the police have suffered huge neglect and continuous deprivation by successive governments. This of course engendered heavy corruption in the system, just as it frustrated police efforts and capabilities to adequately combat crimes.

    Besides government’s inadequate attention, the role of various police bosses in the past in a number of instances also worsened the situation. This they did by converting the resources meant for the institution for their personal aggrandizement.

    On the other hand, all the facilities the police require are readily available while on external operations.

    This undoubtedly explains the difference in performance on both platforms. Fortunately, this situation is about to change for the better, considering moves by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim K. Idris, especially in the realm of training and retraining.

    The coming of IGP Ibrahim has significantly influenced positive developments in most areas of the police system. He has left no one in doubt about his willingness to bring a far-reaching transformation to the institution. This he promised to do through, among others, training and re-training of officers and men in all departments of the institution. This is line with his conviction that transformation is an undeniable function of acquisition of new methods and techniques made possible by training and retraining. In his inaugural speech, he promised to bring on board a well-trained police that everyone would be proud of.

    He has also been categorical about the code of conduct for the Nigeria Police, which he said would strictly guide its actions. He said the force must also be well-positioned to make Nigeria safer and more secure for socio-economic development and growth.

    This, he said, can easily be achieved through partnerships with stakeholders, other relevant security agencies, and members of the public in gathering, collating and sharing intelligence. This is also in line with the code of conducts of the police, to deliver quality police services that are accessible to the generality of the people.

    It is in line with these objectives, inter alia, that the Nigerian police recently collaborated with an NGO known as Nigeria Unite Against Terror, (NUAT) to organise a TRAINING ON HUMAN RIGHTS FOR SARS OFFICERS IN 12 POLICE ZONAL COMMANDS.

    The training session was described by the co-convener, Dr. Joe Okei Odumakin, who is president, Women Arise & Centre for Change, as a meeting of history, motivated by the desire to walk the talk and make everyone to live according to the slogan of police and citizens friendship.  According to her, SARS remains a very special unit of the police institution, which training and retraining cannot be compromised. The training simultaneously took place in the 12 zonal headquarters of the Nigeria Police and the AIGs who represented the IGP at the occasion, all agreed in their speeches to work earnestly to assist their boss to usher in a police institution Nigerians would be proud of.

    There is a resurgence of the need to enhance community policing, which focuses on the police building ties with members of the communities to secure the society, as well as build synergies to avoid prevalent police inter-community suspension. There is also the realisation that policing is much more than law enforcement, as officers must understand that resolving special problems between different categories of people in the community constitute a major part of police duties.

    In the area of Human Rights, the Nigeria Police is being positioned to align with international human rights standards, as well as make the police ethics conform to human rights requirements. An expert in police activities in Nigeria, Dr. Gabriel Okun has opined that the seriousness with which trainings are prioritised by the present leaders of the institution is a remarkable indication of genuine intention to take police to a higher level of reputation. In her speech at the occasion of one of the trainings, Dr Odumakin said: “The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris has been so wonderful. He showed commitment to true policing of Nigeria and has worked tirelessly to make this marriage of citizens and the police a reality for the sake of effective security and protection of human rights in the course of operations.”

    Justifying her commitment to the police project, Dr Odumakin stated that she became convinced to work with IGP Ibrahim Idris on this mission, having studied his activities over time and found his commitment to the course of effective policing, protection of citizens and human rights highly genuine.