No one saw the vision earlier, neither did any one foresaw that the lnspector General of police , Mr ldris lbrahim was going to mask himself with various controversies that would gradually and eventually engulf the institution of the Nigeria Police. From the onset, barely two days into his appointment, he called for a world press conference on a “ holy day” being sunday where he disclosed that his predecessor Mr Solomon Arase had illegally gone into retirement with all the official cars on the lGP’s fleet. An allegation that made headline news and turned out not being well managed as it was not well verified and substantiated. The truth was that lbrahim was habouring unforgiveness when he took over the office and was quick to execute judgement which unfortunately backfired while in its track. As the Assistant lnspector General of police , operations, lbrahim was issued a query while under the leadership of Arase which fortunately for him was over shadowed by his appointment. The anger resulted in his early fury against Arase and other management team then. According to Arase, the purported removed vehicles were actually sent for refurbishment in anticipation of the newly appointed lGP. Despite ransacking all the residences of both the out going lGP and his management team, for official vehicles and none was found ,yet lbrahim did not deem it necessary to tender an open apology for casting wrong aspersion on his former boss. That controversy eclipsed and people thought that would be the end of such controversy. No !, lbrahim was warming up to embroil the police in another controversy. The over twenty top police officers jettisoned by the President who preferred him, sparked another controversy when lbrahim isdued them a red flag and confiscated all their official vehicles and gave those of them occupying official quarters a quit notice to vacate within three weeks instead of the mandatory six months. lbrahim indeed had a grouse to grind with his former seniors. As is the tradition, the police service commission plays an important role in the administration of the police institution in the country, unfortunately, lbrahm is yet to pay an official courtesy visit to the commission till date . His aides claim he is always busy and the question arose, is he more busier than MD Abubakar, Abbah and Solomon Arase?. Simple, lbrahim is nursing some undisclosed grudge. As the days unfold, more controversies unfold. All the structures put in place by MD Abubakar and Solomon Arase were completely dismantled as they were clothed in new names just to give the impression that these structures are his creation. For instance the re-naming of the IGPs intelligence unit to Intelligent Response Team (IRT) and the Re-launch of Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU) is like re-clothing a Tiger, its actions would still expose its true nature
The latest controversy if not well managed could snowball into public odium that would further erase the guarded integrity of the police in public view. It is the allegation of a serving senator of the federal republic of Nigeria
Senator Isah Hamman Misau whom the Police described as a “deserter” still bearing the registered name on its staff list as AP. No 57300 DSP Mohammed Isa Hamman on posting to Niger State . He had alleged that N10billion was being cornered by the person of the inspector General of police on monthly basis adding that bribe was taking before commissioners are posted to juicy states. Although the police described the senator’s allegation as “premeditated evil plans to incite the public against the Nigeria Police Force, “ adding that the allegation was “unfounded fallacies aimed at casting aspersions on the renewed commitment of the Nigeria Police Force” yet, there are more questions begging for answer. One obvious question , is , here is a serving senator whose interest to run in an election was publicly known even by the police and other sister security agencies, how come these facts of being a “ deserter” was not known and investigated for appropriate sanction to be meted on him?. Why crying foul after the kite had taken away the chicken?. When did water enter into the Okro soup? The Police must put its house in order. This is one case that needs to be used to touch- light the activities of the personnel incharge of its security documents. Yes, the police came out rather too late to stab the senator in the public and by so doing, has incurred the judgement of the people who are also guestioning the veracity of the police clarification, which are rather very late. Had the police done the needful before now, it would have receive public commendation instead of the present public insensitiveness to the entire controversy. Despite all the efforts of the police to unveil the true documented details of the senator , there are many commas and a big question mark to all these presentation. Why now after over two years?. However the senator got a respite in his claim of obtaining a genuine retirement certificate when the Chairman of police service commission, Sir Mike Okiro shut the police mouth when on a radio programme ,was quoted as confirming that actually the senator retired normally and was issued with a genuine document as claimed and not “ forged” one as stated by the police what a way to end a heated controversy that lbrahim ought to have managed appropriately before jumping the gun . Unfortunately the act of jumping the gun has always been the modus operandi of the lGP since his assumption: take the case of the Arase official vehicles controversy, the delay in the prosecution of the notorious kidnapper Evans , the media war over the report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) alleging that the police was one of the most corrupt institution In the country, then the Senator Isa Hamman controversy. Truely, some of these controversies were uncalled for and could have been better managed by a good leader. When a leader acts aloof such is the consequences of his action. lf one may ask, is police management team not functional?, how come lbrahim is falling into all these pits of controversy without their concern. Or is lbrahim running a solo administration that needs to be reviewed for the collective administrative and operational interest of the Nigeria police?.
That show of force in Umuahia
The recent unnecessary clash between the Military and some members of lpob calls for caution . First, we must put all the issues rightly on the table while dissecting and asking pertinent questions concerning the scenario after listening to all the reports from the lpob leader Nnamdi Kanu, Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi, Assistant Director Army Public Relations,14 Brigade, and the Abia state police commissioner, Mr Leye Oyebade . ( To be continued)