Following the forced retirement of former Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, Isaac Shobayo writes on the ripples generated by the appointment of the new acting IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, and the expectations of stakeholders.The appointment of Alhaji Mohammed Dikko Abubakar as the acting Inspector General of Police has stir up the hornet's nest, in Plateau State, bringing to fore a bottled-up issue which, initially was said to be gradually fizzling out. The change is bringing forth a new scenario.It will be recalled that the unfortunate disturbance of Jos, capital of Plateau State, in 2001 served as an impetus to the raging crisis in the state. Since the incident, the upheaval has become a recurring decimal in the state. The dimension of the 2001 crisis and the quest to put an end to such incident forced the former Governor Joshua Dariye-led administration to set up a judicial commission of inquiry, headed by Justice Niki Tobi,who was, at that time, the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Benin City in Edo State. The Justice Tobi-led team was meant toinvestigate the unfortunate incident.The judicial commission submitted its report in 2002 and a White Paper was consequently issued in 2009 by the Plateau State government. From all indications, the report has been gathering dust since its release, with little or no efforts geared towards the implementation of its recommendations by the authorities concerned, despite repeated calls on both the state and federal governments. The general impression was that the implementation is capable of arresting the ugly trend of violence in the state, if those indicted are punished based on the recommendations of the White Paper.An insight into the report revealed that various personalities in the state were indicted and recommended for one form of punishment or the other. This gives credence to the belief in certain quarters that the lack of political will on the part of the government to implement the report was because of the characters involved.The appointment of Mohammed Dikko Abubakar as the Inspector General of Police has once again brought to the fore, the issues surrounding the recommendations of the Justice Niki Tobi Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the civil disturbances in Jos and its environs.Parts of the White Paper of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry read thus: 'Of all the individuals, groups and organisations who were mentioned in the various memoranda as having played one role or the other with regard to the crisis, none received more scathing comments than Alhaji M.D. Abubakar, the Plateau State Commissioner of Police as at the time of the crisis. He served in that capacity from 16/7/2000 to 16/11/2001. His name was mentioned in not less than 50 per cent of the memoranda submitted to the commission with varying degrees of condemnation of his role before and during the crisis.'The criticism of Alhaji M.D. Abubakar's role in the crisis stems from the fact that, apart from being a member of the State Security Council, he was at the helms of affairs of the Plateau State Police Command whose primary and constitutional role was to provide security of life and property to the people of the state. He was accused variously of neglecting or even undermining this role with serious consequences for the government and the people.'The commission recommends that for his ignoble role during the September 2001 crisis which resulted in the loss of thousands of lives among other loses, the former Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, Alhaji M.D. Abubakar, be advised to retire from the Nigeria Police Force, and in the event of his refusal to do so, he should be dismissed from the service. The government should forward this recommendation to the Police Service Commission for consideration and necessary action.'Based on the Justice Tobi recommendation, a barrage of comments have trailed the appointment of Dikko Abubakar as the acting Inspector General of Police. Those who havean insight into the White Paper which indicted him are of the opinion that he is not an ideal person to be appointed as the number one security man in the country.The Plateau State government, through the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr Gyang Pwajok, said the appointment of Abubakar as the acting Inspector General of Police was a big surprise, despite the government's White Paper report of inquiry into the 2001 civil disturbances in Jos which indicted the acting IGP and, therefore, made recommendations for his retirement.Pwajok said the way and manner he was appointed clearly showed that the president was not properly briefed on the character of the personality involved, especially over his roles as the Commissioner of Police in Plateau State, adding that the position of the White Paper concerning the 2001 civil disturbance in Jos was clear, insisting that the investigation was done by an eminent jurist of impeccable repute, Justice Tobi.According to him, based on the request of the Federal Government, the Plateau State government forwarded the White Paper to the appropriate authority for its consideration, adding that there was a likelihood that the paper did not get to the appropriate quarters. He wondered why a man indicted would now be saddled with a sensitive position at the time Nigeria, especially the northern part of the country, is experiencing security challenges.The chief of staff said that the report exposed the roles played by different characters in the crisis and as well spelt out the punishment for each of the characters, adding that the report would have served as an opportunity for the government to know about the character of those indicted by the report.'I must say that the Plateau State government did its best by coming out with the White Paper concerning the crisis in 2001. The president recently said we should forward the paper, which we did. I wonder if that document has been examined by the appropriate authority. This would have served as an opportunity for the government to know about the character of the individual and his perceived role in the crisis,' he said.In his reaction, Executive Director, Civil Liberty Organisation, Comrade Steve Aluko, expressed shock that the president could appoint M.D Abubakar as the acting Inspector General of Police, considering his role as a Commissioner of Police in Plateau and the way and manner he handled the 2001 civil disturbance in Jos.Aluko strongly condemned the idea of quota system and federal character in vogue in the administration of Nigeria and appointments into public offices, adding that this has continued to promote mediocrity and mess up the system.'The activities of Abubakar as the Commissioner of Police in Plateau State were glaring to all.Since he is on probation of six months before he would be confirmed, let Nigerians watch him to see if he has changed from the Abubakar we knew as the Commissioner of Police in Plateau State,' he advised.Former Military Administrator of Delta State, Colonel John Dungs (retd), said considering the high rate of insecurity in the country and the alleged infiltration of the Boko Haram sect in the security, it would have been better for the president to go for somebody with a clean record as the Inspector General of Police.Chief Dung advised the Federal Government to look beyond the police and beam its searchlight on other security agencies, adding that Nigerian borders with neighboring country need to be policed to check the infiltration of arms and ammunitions, including bad elements, into the country.'Though the government has done well concerning the change of guard in the police, what about the other sectors like the Immigration and Customs' Nigeria's borders are just too porous. If the police are reformed and the country still harbours undesirable elements in other sector, then what have we achieved' The reform should be holistic in nature,' he said.Many opinion experts in the country are divided over Abubakar's appointment. A group, under the aegis of Arewa Youths Forum (AYF) lauded his appointment, saying that Abubakar is a detribalised Nigerian who was well-equipped to tackle the problem of insecurity in the country. The president of the forum, Alhaji Gambo Ibrahim Gunjugu, called on Nigerians to rally round Abubakar to enable him succeed where his predecessor failed.In the same vein, a Jos-based businessman, Nasiru Ahmadu, said the report which people claimed indicted the new acting Inspector General of Police was a contentious report that is being challenged in the court of law. He asked why those against his appointment kept quite all this while that he was being promoted without raising any eyebrow.'All these people are simply not sincere with themselves. If the man was indicted by the White Paper and they did nothing to implement the recommendations and allowed the man to move up the ladder, they should hold themselves responsible. Abubakar had proved himself to be a dedicated policeman in all the places he served. That was why he was singled out this time around,' he said.The 19 Northern state chapters, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) also share their views on the matter. The association said Abubakar's appointment would not end the current act of terrorism, especially in the northern part of the country, saying that Abubakar's indictment over the 2001 crisis in Jos and the recommendation that he should be retire from service was an indication that he is not fit to occupy the office.On the other hand, other analysts perceived the criticisms trailing Abubakar's appointment as a challenge to him, saying that how he handles the fragile security situation in the country, especially the menace of the Boko-Haram sect ravaging the Northern region of the country, would go a long way to dissuade the feeling and stereotype they have about him.According to some people, the stereotype in certain quarter is that Abubakar is a fanatic who Christians cannot trust, based on what they claimed happened during his tenure in Plateau State. But they quickly added that all the positions he held after his tenure in the state, such as AIG Zone 2, Zone 5, Zone 6 and Zone 12, were not noted for controversies like that of Plateau.They, therefore, concluded that his new assignment would serve as an opportunity for him to prove and also purge himself of all the sentimental issues against him.As Nigerians focus their attention on the new acting IGP, the next couple of months of his probation would be a litmus test to show if he is, indeed, capable to occupy the post.
Click here to read full news..
