Salient revolution in the Nigeria Police
By Ayuba Ahmad The most wanted criminal in the recent history of crime, the cold-blooded Chukwueubem Onwuamadike, alias, Evans, admitted that indeed, “The Nigerian Police is no longer like before”. In apparent reference to his own sophistication, the infamous kidnapper in captivity told journalists: “If the Nigerian Police can track and arrest me, then they […]
By Ayuba Ahmad
The most wanted criminal in the recent history of crime, the cold-blooded Chukwueubem Onwuamadike, alias, Evans, admitted that indeed, “The Nigerian Police is no longer like before”. In apparent reference to his own sophistication, the infamous kidnapper in captivity told journalists: “If the Nigerian Police can track and arrest me, then they can arrest any criminal. So I would give advice to those in this business of kidnapping to stop it, before they find themselves in my kind of present situation.” Yes, even the acknowledgement and accolades are coming from an Evans, it is a fact that, the Nigerian Police has been going through fundamental and transformational processes that have been manifesting in improved efficiency in the past one year. As it was before now, the Nigerian Police just didn’t have the answer to the anti tracking devices used by the kidnapper to invade arrest for close to one decade.
In spite of the seemingly insurmountable odds in the way, Mr Ibrahim Kpotun Idris came on the job of Inspector General of Police, IGP, exuding confidence especially expressed in his remarks about transformation. At every forum, he was strident on his plans at refocusing and re-orienting the police personnel in the performance of their statutory responsibilities within the international concept and principles of democratic policing.
Exactly one year ago, the IGP promised Nigerians that the police under him will pursue with new vigor, their cardinal duty of fighting crimes and criminals. In that regard, he spoke of training and refresher training programmes for officers and the rank and file. He warned against indiscipline and pledged to put in place measures to check acts of professional misconduct. The IGP severally announced a renewed commitment to the welfare of the officers and men to boost performance, morale and dedication.
In keeping with his promise to reinforce the internal mechanism of ensuring professionalism amongst personnel of the force, Mr Idris has since reorganized the X-squad. A special Department that keeps tab on the moral and professional conduct of officers and men, activities of the rejuvenated X-squad have since resulted in the detection and investigation of litany of cases of professional misconduct. As a result, an unprecedented scale of officers and men have been arrested, tried in line with the service rules and regulations, with varying degrees of disciplinary measures meted out to those found wanting.
While vigorously, even ruthlessly embarking on the campaign of entrenching discipline and compliance to professionalism, IGP Ibrahim Idris has as well, scaled up attention and commitment to the general welfare, entitlements and dues of personnel. A massive Housing programme for the officers and men of the force initiated in the last one year has since commenced in earnest. Being executed in a Public Private Partnership, (PPP) arrangement, the ambitious programme is aimed to enable every police man or woman to own a home of his or her own before retirement. This is just as, a regime of regular and prompt payment of allowances for all officers and men on special duties has been instituted and amazingly, it has been working.
Before now, promotions to new ranks were done without commensurate increase in salaries and allowances. Not only has that unsavory scenario become a thing of the past, the new management under IGP Idris has taken a step further by paying years of outstanding arrears due to promoted officers and men. Family members and next of kin of deceased police officers and men have similarly reaped from the new dawn in the police welfare scheme. Allowances to the families of gallant officers who fell in the course of official duties and pension to next of kin of those deceased are now regularly, scrupulously done. Internal and foreign training platforms have been widened to allow for specialization and general proficiency. A good number of police men and women have been receiving special training on latest global strategies in policing in the USA, British and other international security NGOS training institutions.
On assumption of duty as IGP, I.K Idris went out of his way to forge a synergy with other security agencies through his courtesy visits to the Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces, the Controllers General of the Customs and Immigration Services and the Commander General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Crops, NSCDC, among others. The inter-agency collaboration has been witnessing increase in the tempo of victories jointly recorded in operations against armed insurgences and other forms of violent crimes. Similarly, the IGP has recently established the Eminent Persons Group, EPG, which consists of traditional rulers, members of trade unions, associations of women and ethnic and religious groups. As part of the concept of community policing programme, the EPG is aimed at involving members of the wider society in combating crime.
Refusing to be blackmailed or intimidated, the police bravely rose to the occasion in response to the communal killings in Ile-Ife, Osun State and in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State. Having doused the burning inferno, diligent, professional investigation led to the arrest and subsequent prosecution of suspects in the two incidents. The tracking and killing of the notorious armed robber and serial killer, Henry Chibueze, aka Vampire, is another huge addition to the accomplishments of the police Force under IGP Idris within the one year of his leadership.
The IGP has been asking the political authority to allow for the yearly recruitment of 30,000 officers and men over the next five years to make for the gaping short fall in manpower requirements of the NPF. He has also been pleading for the passage of the bill on the proposed police Trust Fund now before the National Assembly, as a strategy for an enduring panacea to the crisis of funding. For now, the picture that has been unfolding in the past one year is a loud testimony that in spite of the odds, the nation’s foremost security agency can soar high, very high, in the performance of its statutory responsibility of securing safety of lives and property. The one salient revelation is: a leadership that is focused, determined and courageous can make all the difference. And that, precisely, is the result in the one year score card of IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris. It can only be better.
Ayuba Ahmad is a Kaduna based public analyst.