Insurgency: No doubt this Govt has failed the North – Ex IGP Coomassie
Why in your view do the police still have the negative image it has, despite its relevance to society?It’s the nature of the job. It’s the policeman who will stop you and ask questions once he has suspicions about your movement; it’s the policeman who will arrest you when you commit an offence; it’s he […]
Why in your view do the police still have the negative image it has, despite its relevance to society?
It’s the nature of the job. It’s the policeman who will stop you and ask questions once he has suspicions about your movement; it’s the policeman who will arrest you when you commit an offence; it’s he who will investigate and lock you up and eventually charge you to court and even prosecute you. So because of the nature of the job, nobody likes them. If in your family you have five children and you give him the responsibility of law and order or sanity, you have brought that child up, above the others. You have to give him the tools to do the job. If you don’t give him the tools, he will never perform well and he’ll be quarrelling with not only you his parents, but his siblings. This is what is happening to the police. The police is an organisation constitutionally charged with the responsibilities of maintenance of law and order, preserving public peace and order and it has been given the laws to use to perform the job, but it has never been properly looked after. That is the reason you may have criticism about the police. You criticise them because they cannot do what they are supposed to do because the government has not looked after them very well.
What would you say about cases of senior police officers not being persecuted in the light of corrupt practices that they’ve been involved in?
Well, I don’t know why. Nobody is above the law. It is stated clearly in the constitution in the Criminal and Penal Codes, Criminal Procedure Code and Criminal Procedure Act and the rest of it, and even in the Miscellaneous Act, nobody is above the law. I was CP in Sokoto in 1984 to 1985 when an assistant commissioner of police was involved in armed robbery. I got him arrested, investigated and sent the case to the Ministry of Justice. They prosecuted and convicted him and he was executed.
There’s a general perception that the police are concerned more about private interest than professionalism. What’s your take on this, looking at the recent Rivers State saga where individuals who can afford to, hire the police, whether it’s justified or not, rather than protect public interest?
In the second group of examples you gave, such a policeman is a bad policeman. He should be dealt with. The other group of examples you gave is another bad thing. When I was there, I urged for people’s police; a police force that is answerable to the people, not government police or police for the rich and the ‘419ers’, because they enjoy special privileges from the police. This shouldn’t be allowed. I said it even at the recent National Conference that we should have people’s police that will be answerable to the people. The government is the one responsible because the constitution says the purpose of government is security and welfare of the people. It went further to create social and economic rights and even cultural rights, education, employment fair remuneration, fundamental human rights and so on. These are available in the constitution, but they are not justitiable except fundamental human rights because the laws are very active. If your child isn’t admitted into university, there is nothing you can do about it. At the conference we advocated for the laws to be made justitiable so that you can go to court if your child isn’t admitted into university and ask the judge to ask government to enforce it or implement whatever privileges are there.
How did you become the ACF chairman?
I’ve been a member of the ACF since its inception and a member of its then central working committee. Later, I became a member of its board of trustees for my state, Katsina. I’ve been operating as such. These posts are rotated amongst the three northern zones. It fell on mine, North-West, to provide the chairman of the national executive council, who is also chairman of the central working committee. We had a retired military officer, General Mohammed I. Wushishi, whose responsibility it was to organise and get those elected to be elected. My zone pinpointed me and consultation across the zones said I should stand and I said I wasn’t going to contest because I didn’t want to stand an election. Then they said if the house decided to elect me, what would I say? I said I have no objections but for me to stand for election, I won’t. Incidentally, the day the election held, I didn’t attend. I was in Kano attending to my dental problem when I was called and told I was nominated and I was going to contest with some people. One person stepped down for me and they called me to say they were offering it to me, whether I would accept. I said yes. The senior officer supervising the election asked me if I liked it and if I could do it. I said as for liking it, I can’t answer you. As for whether I can do it or not, it’s not for me to answer. Posterity will judge. Eventually, they said I was elected… in absentia (laughter).
ACF came up about the same time as the OPC and MASSOP. What are the ACF’s philosophies?
The purpose of forming ACF is very clear. It is a child of necessity. We handed over power to civilian government in 1999. I was a member of the team because I was then Inspector General of Police. After we disengaged, there were hues and cries about the country; some blamed northern Nigeria and northerners for the mishaps. We had three groups – the Turaki committee, the Northern Elders’ Forum (not this current one) and Alhaji Abdurrahman Okene, a veteran civil servant. There was also another outfit headed by Alhaji Sule Katagum. These three are outstanding. They responded to criticisms against northern Nigeria individually. We thought enough of that and we should have one voice amongst the entire northern stakeholders, traditional institutions, civil servants, the military, police and all the rest of them. We met in Arewa House in Kaduna to discuss the issue. The late Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, chaired that meeting. He asked the current Emir of Illorin, Alhaji Sulu Gambari, to harness the new outfit and after some meetings with committees and sub-committees, they came out with ACF. From then on, if there’s any attack on northern Nigeria, we respond as one unit. If we’re looking for anything for the North, we do so as one. During the Tiv/Jukun crisis, the ACF solved the problem – not the Federal Government. Even President Olusegun Obasanjo commended us for that. There have been other such occasions; the most important one is the Oputa Panel. We went to Enugu to listen to the complaints there… The South-East had prepared a voluminous case against northern Nigeria, giving the impression that even the January 1966 coup was staged to forestall plan by Northerners to stage a coup, which was not so. We studied the document, prepared a position and requested Oputa to give us a hearing. He gave us hearing in Abuja, we submitted [our position] and that was the end of it. These are some of the things we have been doing.
With the collapse of industries in northern Nigeria, what’s the ACF doing to bring businesses back to the region?
ACF is an NGO. We have no money; we have no power. We can only advice. But we provide an umbrella for all northern Nigerians irrespective of political leanings, religious affiliations and the rest of it, to discuss issues that affect us. The collapse of industries is everywhere, not only in northern Nigeria. But it hit us hard. The textile industries in Kaduna and Kano are now moribund. There was a time the Federal Government said they had voted certain amount to rejuvenate them and so on, nothing has happened. One of the main problems is power. Without electricity, you cannot run a factory, even the small scale industries. You can’t do it. It’s not ACF that will do it. We have been tabling it and talking about it to government, writing to the appropriate authorities, but the responsibility is a combination of the Federal Government efforts and the states concerned.
I ask this because a lot of your conversations are tilted more towards politics than in this light…
No, it’s not political. During my time, the main thing is security. Boko Haram, which is an insurgency, has been on record since 2009. People in the North have been affected. Devastation is too much, even school children were not spared. Some were even kidnapped and until today, you and I don’t know where they are. It is the responsibility of federal government to provide security for all of us and they have failed to do this. As ACF, we felt concerned because victims have been coming to us to complain and give us vivid accounts of their experiences. What else can we do? We first went to all our northern governors with a letter to them: protest against these continuous killings. We gave figures and asked them to do something about it. We also wrote an open letter to Mr. President, tabling everything, including the attempted assassination of the current presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some clergymen. We complained. The worst was, they were taking over local governments in the North-East and hoisting their flags. It’s a shame on the government of the day.
In this light, would you then say that the postponement of the election was necessary?
No it wasn’t. What you have not done in six years, you want to do it in six weeks? How come? What special input in your security outfit did you have that you would be able to do something in six weeks which you failed to do in six years?
There are seemingly more military activities in the North-East now. What’s your take on that?
It’s good. We have been commending them when they do something good. But are they alone? Is it Nigerian effort or combined effort of the ECOWAS region, including Chad, Cameroon and Niger? But then if you check, some of these countries have been affected; that is what inspired them to come in. Chad for example, some of us have accused them of sitting behind Boko Haram. And, in fact, we felt embarrassed when a Nigerian went to Chad with the president. Why did they not take the current governors of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa? If they think that the former governor was useful, go along with him. For the regional cooperation, I was an Inspector General of Police for six years. We formed an organisation, West African Chiefs of Police Organisation (WACPO). We started drawing up legal instruments, arranging for joint operations, joint communication. I trained a squadron of PMF from Niger Republic in Gworza. When the cadet ASPs and inspectors were passing out in Kano, they passed out along with this set. I was the first chairman of that outfit. We even organised donations in hard currency and in naira. We opened accounts which I handed over so that we can function effectively. What happened to that outfit? The understanding was that if your counterparts in the region found a criminal they would join you in arresting him and permit you to come back with him. Later, the extradition legalities would be sorted out. That is what they would have done if Nigeria failed to curb the menace of insurgency.
What’s the percentage of women in ACF and what’s their relevance?
Every northerner of the age of 18 and above is a member of the ACF.
But we don’t see them like we see the men?
Yes, it’s because of the nature of the thing. It’s an NGO. ACF isn’t rich. You need funds to be mobile. If they call for a meeting you cannot go if you don’t have the funds. Secondly, state chapters which are supposed to be the engineering forum to motivate all other members are not so functional. Because if you have state chapters, they will organise and more people will attend. Not every northerner will attend a meeting in Kaduna.
Are you doing anything to encourage more women participation?
Yes we are. Not only women but youths too.
If a Christian from the North were to come up as president, as ACF would such a person in your anticipation represent the views of the region?
Everybody has got his own yardstick for assessment. An individual, who is capable, has the capacity, whether he’s Christian or Muslim he has to sell himself to the electorate. The problem he may have is how to get the nomination from his party. Once he gets it, I’m telling you, everybody will support him.
The Northern Elders Council recently endorsed President Jonathan. Do they speak the mind of the North?
Northern Elders Council is the child of the government. It’s not a voluntary organisation. So whatever they do, it doesn’t represent northern Nigeria. But Northern Elders Forum and other outfits with interest in northern Nigeria’s development, peace and unity are with us and we’re working together. Members of the Northern Elders Council are on their own. They were born about two weeks before the National Conference started.
Looking back at your life in the police, what experience would you say made you proud of serving Nigeria in that capacity?
There are several. One of them is how we were able to tackle the June 12 saga. But I’m not ready to go into details because I have done that before. And it has been published.
Another thing is I cherish honesty, integrity and hard work. I loathe corruption. I fought corruption. One retired officer once said I’m the only one who fought corruption and almost succeeded. This is one of my landmarks. If not, I wouldn’t be talking to you today.
Fifteen years after and with all I have been saying if I have a skeleton in my cupboard, you know what will happen. Corruption, I have zero tolerance for it, even today.
How have you occupied yourself since retirement?
I have been very active and love being at home. There’s nothing like home. You can operate from home. From Katsina, if I want to go to the South, I just drive to Kano, sleep and take the first flight to Lagos and from Lagos to wherever I need to go. I was an Inspector General of Police; I have privileges which I still enjoy. If I call a Commissioner of Police that I’m coming, he will prepare a staff car and escort for me to take me wherever I need to go. I take the last flight to Kano, sleep and come back home the following day.
Where’s the one place in Nigeria aside home that you love to go to?
Honestly speaking, I love to go anywhere in this country. Anywhere I can go. It’s only the question of mode of transportation. Some of us have been spoiled as it were. We have seen outside Nigeria and know how things move. If you book a flight properly, you can go even unaccompanied, arrive at your destination and you can find your way. It’s only at the times when they have negative impression about us. You travel to USA, they ask you to take your shoes off and they bring dogs to sniff. These are some of the things that have discouraged me. Otherwise, I like my country. There is nothing that will make me go to America. To do what? I can get it here in Nigeria.
What’s your assessment of President Jonathan and General Buhari?
The purpose of any government is security and welfare of the people. This current government has awfully failed in terms of security. General Buhari was a military head of state. He has been tested and he made impact for the period he was head of state. For example, there was a time when he was even a GOC (General Officer Commanding) and there was a crisis with Chad. The Chadian rebels were trying to embarrass us. He went in and did what he could to control the situation. This man was military governor of the Old Borno or North-Eastern State. He was Head of State. He was minister of petroleum. He was chairman PTF. He has never been found wanting. I think in terms of score sheets, you can compare. But the main reason I have been making noise and I will continue to make noise is since 2009, after they killed Mohammed Yusuf, Northerners and North Easterners have been killed like chickens. Their property destroyed. The devastation was unimaginable. Yet, government whose responsibility it is to contain these things have failed to do it. So how can you compare the two? I’m not talking about welfare. I think here we are using generator and we talked about power to provide for jobs. We talked about the industries becoming moribund because essentially, one of the reasons is we don’t have energy. In Katsina, in my house, generator is the thing. NEPA or Power Holding or whatever you call them is the one on standby. That’s a role reversal. As far as I’m concerned, these are the comparisons for you.