The systematic war against Igbos in the Nigerian Police under the watch of Mohammed D. Abubakar has met with strong condemnation from frontline rights group International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety).

In the concluding (Part Three) of its petition, the first two parts of which were published by News Express on Monday and Tuesday, Intersociety drew the attention of President Jonathan, the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission to the dangers posed by the deliberate exclusion of Ndigbo from producing police top officers in the next 10 years.

“In view of the foregoing Mr. President, we demand for your immediate intervention and ordering of full scale and conclusive investigation into the promotion and posting policy of the present Nigeria Police Force,” Intersociety said, adding:

“On account of our demand for Mr. President’s full scale investigation, it is our further demand that a thorough shake up should be carried out in the NPF command hierarchy, which will include mass retirement of all serving DIGs and AIGs so as not only to pave way for injection of new blood in the NPF command hierarchy, but also to put in place geopolitically oriented policy for future promotions and postings.”

As earlier reported by News Express, the petition, entitled Unmasking “Dogari/Dansanda” Policy In The Nigeria Police Force & A Case Against Sectional Domination In Promotions & Postings Of Key Officers In The Force, was sent to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, and Executive Chairman, Federal Character Commission, Prof. Shuaibu Oba AbdulRaheem to seek their urgent intervention into the matter. It is copied to the Inspector General of Police himself; Chairman, Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro; and Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum, Governor of Anambra State.

Jointly signed by Intersociety’s Board Chairman Umeagbalasi and Head, Publicity Desk, Justus Ijeoma, the petition dated February 3, 2014 was sent from Intersociety’s head office in Onitsha, Anambra State. Below is the concluding part:

‘As promised in the first part of this all-important letter, this is its concluding part (part three). It contains the names of serving CPs from Southwest, Northeast and South-south zones as well as the number of serving DCPs, ACPs and CSPs and their geopolitical origins in the Nigeria Police Force, updated as at 31^st day of January, 2014.

‘CPs From Southwest Zone: The seventeen (17) CPs from Southwest zone are 1. Adeola Adeleke Adeniji (Ogun State), 2. Adebayo Ajileye (Ondo State), 3. Jubril Olawale Adeniji (Lagos State), 4. Adenrele Tasheed Shinaba (Lagos State), 5. James O. Caulcrick (Lagos State), 6. Sherifat A. Disu Olajoku (Lagos State), 7. Johnson A. Ogunsakin( Ekiti State), 8. Tonye Ebiye Ebitibituwa (Ondo State), 9. Olufemi A. Adenaike (Ogun State), 10. Olufemi David Ogunbayode (Ogun State), 11. Titilayo Musiliu Busari (Oyo State), 12. Foluso Adebanjo (Lagos State), 13. Agbola Oshodi-Glover (Lagos State), 14. A.K. Shodipo (Lagos State), 15.Nasiru Disu Oki (Osun State), 16. Kayode C. Aderanti (Osun State), 17. Adenike Fehintola Abuwa (medical doctor) (Ekit State).

‘CPs From Northeast Zone: The thirteen (13) CPs from Northeast zone are 1. Usman Akila Gwarry (Borno State), 2. Danladi Yilami Mshelbwala (Borno State), 3. Stephen Audu (Gombe State), 4. Adams Audu (Borno State), 5. Yahaya Garba Ardo (Gombe State), 6. Irimiya F. Yerima (Taraba State), 7.Idris Faruk Umar (Yobe State), 8. Hyacinth Medugu Dagala (Borno State), 9. Marcus K. Danladi (Gombe State), 10. Mohammed Sani Usman (Bauchi State), 11. Aminchi Samaila Baraya (Taraba State), 12. Usman Alkali Baba (Yobe State) and 13. Tijani Baba (Yobe State).

‘CPs From South-south Zone: The eleven (11) CPs from South-south zone are 1. Ambrose O. Aisabor (Edo State), 2. Christian Akioja Olakpe (Delta State), 3. A.J. Abakasanga (Akwa Ibom State), 4. Benjamin Uche Onwuka (Delta State), 5. Desiye Desire Nsirim (Bayelsa State), 6. Mbu Joseph Mbu (Cross River State), 7. Patrick Dey Dokumor (Bayelsa State), 8. Sontonye Leroy Wakama (Rivers State), 9. Isaac Chinonyerem Eke (Rivers State), 10. Kalafite Helen Adeyemi (Rivers State) and 11. Victor O.E. Onofiok (Akwa Ibom State).

‘Serving DCPs, ACPs & CSPs & Their Geopolitical Origins: Out of a total of one hundred & seventy-two (172) serving Deputy Commissioners of Police in the NPF including fifteen (15) specialists, Southeast zone has the least number with 20, followed by Northeast with 25, North-central 29, Northwest 33, Southwest 35 and South-south 37. And out of 20 serving Southeast DCPs, four will retire this year (2014), two in 2015 and three in 2016. Out of three hundred & ninety-eight (398) serving Assistant Commissioners of Police including fifteen (15) specialists, Southeast zone, again, has the least number with 38, followed by Northwest with 55, Northeast 55, North-central 85, Southwest 86 and South-south 88. And out of 38 serving ACPs from Southeast zone, four will retire this year (2014), one in 2015 and eight in 2016. Out of nine hundred & six (906) investigated and confirmed serving Chief Superintendents of Police (CSPs) in the NPF, Northwest zone tops the list with 186, followed by South-south with 155, North-central 152, Southwest 147, Southeast 142 and Northeast 122. And out of 142 CSPs from Southeast zone, 12 will retire between 2014 and 2017 and eight between 2018 and 2019.

‘Apart from gross lopsidedness and sectional domination of the NPF top promotions being complained of, postings in the Force top field duties are also faulty and incoherent with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, especially her Section 14 (3). For instance, the 12 zonal commands of the Force are dominated by an ethno-religious section of the country, particularly by Northwest zone. AIGs Suleiman A. Abba (Jigawa State, Northwest), heads Zone 7, Abuja, Mamman Ibrahim Tsafe (Zamfara State, Northwest), heads Zone 2, Lagos, Saliu Argungu Hashimu (Kebbi State, Northwest), heads Zone 5, Benin, Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar (Kano State, Northwest), heads Zone 3, Yola, Tambari Mohammed (Sokoto State, Northwest), heads Zone 1, Kano, Sule Mamman (Katsina State, Northwest), heads Zone 10, Sokoto, Mohammed J. Gana (Niger State, North-central), heads Zone 12, Bauchi, Ballah Magaji Nasarawa (Kebbi State, Northwest), heads Zone 9, Umuahia. All the above names are Hausa-Fulani Muslims, dominated by Northwest zone. In the spirit of federal character, equity and fairness, the 12 zonal commands ought to be occupied by two AIGs from each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The assignment of “tea-making” operational duties to senior officers of none Hausa-Fulani Muslims is a case in point in the posting of AIG Edgar Tam Nanakumo (Bayelsa State, South-south) as “AIG in-charge of Force Animal Branch”.

‘Where It Concerns Mr. President & Commander-In-Chief:

‘From pieces of incontrovertible evidence provided in this all-important letter, Sir, a case of grave violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and the federal character principle has been established against the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, under IGP Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar. As Mr. President is aware, Section 14 (3) of the Constitution under reference forbids and prohibits any form of sectional domination in the distribution of public posts and socio-economic infrastructures among various federating units of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The “various federating units of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” are fairly captured by six geopolitical zonal arrangements, which Mr. President usually rely on in the course of any public appointments, be they ministers, heads of parastatals or service chiefs. Even in the appointment of Police DIGs, a picture of geopolitical balance is usually painted by the IGP and the PSC.

‘In view of the foregoing Mr. President, it is a fact to say that the present leadership of the Nigeria Police Force has positioned the Northwest geopolitical zone to control and head the Force in the next ten years or more; a sort of “dogari/dansanda” policy or “Hausa Constabulary” policy of the pre-independence police policies in Nigeria. It may not be out of place to say that the next IGP has already been penciled down by M.D. Abubakar NPF leadership in the person of either DIG Suleiman Dauda Fakai (Kebbi State, Northwest), with his retirement period stretching up to February 2019 or DIG Atiku Kafur (Katsina State, Northwest) with retirement period of February 2017. Similar situation may be applicable in those in the position of AIG, in case the next IGP is to be picked from their ranks as was the case with the present IGP, Mr. M.D. Abubakar in January 2012. Among the 11 serving AIGs retained by the Northwest zone, seven of them will retire between 2017 and 2019; this makes each of them an IGP material. Similar situation is found among 21 serving CPs retained by the zone under reference.

‘In view of the foregoing Mr. President, we demand for your immediate intervention and ordering of full scale and conclusive investigation into the promotion and posting policy of the present Nigeria Police Force. As Mr. President may be aware, the Police Service Commission now operates the opposite side of the law establishing it including Section 153 and Supplementary Sections 29 & 30 of Part 1 of Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended in 2011. For instance, Supp. Section 30 says: “The Police Service Commission shall have power to appoint persons to offices in the Nigeria Police Force other than that of the IGP and dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding such offices”. Sadly, the PSC now functions as “a stamping commission”, by stamping whatever names sent across to it by the IGP, no matter how lopsided or sectionalized they appear.

‘It is impeachable for the Northwest zone that produces the present IGP to also take two serving DIGs and 11, out of 21 serving AIGs, leaving North-central with 5, South-south with 2, Southwest with 2, Northeast with only 1 and Southeast with nothing. Other areas where there are strong accusations of sectional domination particularly by Northwest and to an extent, by North-central and Northeast Muslim officers at the alleged instance of IGP are those manning strategic NPF field formations like Special Protection Units (SPUs), Mobile Squadrons (MSQs), Federal & State SARS, Area Commands, State Criminal Investigation Departments (SCIDs), Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATSs) and Divisional Police Stations (DPSs/DPOs). Your Excellency’s investigation should be extended to such areas.

‘On account of our demand for Mr. President’s full scale investigation, it is our further demand that a thorough shake up should be carried out in the NPF command hierarchy, which will include mass retirement of all serving DIGs and AIGs so as not only to pave way for injection of new blood in the NPF command hierarchy, but also to put in place geopolitically oriented policy for future promotions and postings. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Nigeria Police Council, both law and convention are at Your Excellency’s beck and call to sanitize and reposition the NPF. Our firm position remains that no geopolitical zone including Southeast zone should be allowed to sectionalize or dominate federal public posts and infrastructures, at the expense of other federating partners of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

‘Where It Concerns The National Assembly Leaderships:

‘The President of the Senate and the House Speaker are called upon to direct their standing committees’ chairmen on police affairs to carry out thorough and conclusive investigations to ascertain the pattern of promotions and postings in the NPF and summon the IGP to appear before their chambers with documentary details of his “recommendations for promotion” policy in the NPF and defend its conformity or otherwise with the provisions of the Constitution including Section 14(3). The IGP should also be mandated by the National Assembly to be attending his NPF budget defense; be it substantive or supplementary, with written details of all officers promoted or recommended for promotion, which must include their geopolitical zonal origins; failure of which should attract standing down his request for approval of the NPF budget until full compliance is made.

‘Where It Concerns The Chairman Of The Federal Character Commission:

‘As the Executive Chairman of the FCC, the FCC Establishment Act of 1996 enjoins your Commission to “implement and enforce federal character principle of fairness and equity in the distribution of public posts and socio-economic infrastructures among various federating units of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”. As a result, we demand your Commission’s immediate investigation into the impeachable lopsidedness in the promotions and postings of senior members of the Nigeria Police Force with a view to enforcing equity and fairness in the exercise. Your Commission’s investigation will answer the question as in: whether federal character principle, equity and fairness were met in allowing Northwest geopolitical zone to produce the present IGP, two, out of seven serving DIGs, eleven out of 21 serving AIGs, twenty-one, out of 88 serving CPs, 186, out of 906 serving CSPs and manning of eight, out of 12 zonal commands, manned by AIGs, etc as well as domination of other strategic operational postings in the Force.

Your Commission should also extend its investigation into other areas where there are strong accusations of sectional domination particularly by Northwest and to an extent, by North-central and Northeast Muslim officers. Specifically, duty postings made with respect to those manning the command cadres of strategic NPF field formations like Special Protection Units (SPUs), Mobile Squadrons (MSQs), Federal & State SARS, Area Commands, State Criminal Investigation Departments (SCIDs), Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATSs) and Divisional Police Stations (DPSs/DPOs) should be thoroughly and conclusively investigated to ensure their coherence at all times with federal character principle, equity and fairness.

‘It is our hope that this letter in its completeness will be expeditiously looked into and issues of extreme importance raised therein addressed frontally.’

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