Controversy over deployment of AIG

Controversy has trailed the redeployment of Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Usaini Gumel, to the Community Policing, Research and Planning department of the Police Force. Until this development, Gumel was the AIG in charge of Zone 7 – the zone overseeing the nation’s capital and Niger State, both in the North-central zone. The signal for his […]

Controversy has trailed the redeployment of Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Usaini Gumel, to the Community Policing, Research and Planning department of the Police Force. Until this development, Gumel was the AIG in charge of Zone 7 – the zone overseeing the nation’s capital and Niger State, both in the North-central zone.

The signal for his redeployment dated March 30, 2025 with reference number: TH.5361/FS/FHQ/ABJ/SUB.5/314, was sighted by Weekend Trust on Friday. However, the signal did not state the reason for the redeployment.

Weekend Trust gathered that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, replaced Gumel with Mobolaji Victor Olaiya, also an AIG.  There were speculations last night that the redeployment followed Gumel’s alleged criticism of the state of emergency declared in Rivers State and suspension of the governor, Siminalayi Fubara by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It would be recalled that Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast on March 18, declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspended the governor, his deputy and all lawmakers in the state assembly for six months.

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The president subsequently appointed the sole administrator to oversee the affairs of the state for the period – a development which has generated reactions from lawyers, democracy advocates, members of the opposition, among others.

Speaking to our correspondent anonymously on Friday, a police officer at the Force headquarters said AIG Gumel’s removal was not unconnected with his recent position on the development in Rivers State.

Gumel was alleged to have spoken against the declaration of state of emergency casually in his office during an informal conversation with some of his colleagues.

The source said the AIG was reported to the IGP by one of the discussants, who betrayed his trust.

When asked where he was redeployed to, the cop said he had since been redeployed to the Community Policing, Research and Planning department of the Force.

 

Lawyer tackles police chief

Reacting to the development, human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, berated Egbetokun for his action, saying it wasn’t surprising that instead of commending Gumel’s courage against “illegality, he was punished for standing against injustice”.

Adeyanju, in a statement issued on Friday, lauded Gumel for what he called his principled opposition to “the recent illegal declaration of a state of emergency” in Rivers State.

He argued that Gumel’s integrity and courage during a time when such values are often compromised should be commended.

“If more individuals like Gumel rise to speak out against the erosion of our democratic principles, there remains hope for a brighter future for Nigeria. It is important that we collectively condemn acts of lawlessness and uphold our constitutional rights,” he said.

Police mum

Efforts to get the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, for official reaction to the development proved abortive as several calls to his mobile phone were not answered.

Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, was yet to respond to Whatsapp and text messages sent to him as at press time.

 

The Department of Research and Planning

The Department of Research and Planning in the Nigeria Police Force was initially established in 1975, to ensure standards and uniformity in the delivery of policing services in Nigeria. However, it has undergone several transformations over the years.

In 1986, it was renamed the “Management Service Department” (MSD) under the Directorate of Finance and Administration.

But in 1996, it reverted to its original name, the Department of Research and Planning, with a focus on research, planning, and policy development.

It’s worthy of note that community policing was introduced in the Nigeria Police Force in March 2002, in partnership with the British Council Department for International Development (DFID).

The Community Policing unit was then co-opted into the Department of Research and Planning.