The stewardship of Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed D. Abubakar, has once more come under the hammer, with the top cop being accused of using the recent promotion of 1,402 police officers to perpetuate sectional and ethno-religious domination of the force.

In a fresh petition dated February 26, 2014, the International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) gave reasons why the promotion exercise should e reviewed. It also exposed methods and tactics allegedly being used by IGP Abubakar to favour his ethnic group and religion to the detriment of other in the police.

Jointly signed by Intersociety’s Board Chairman Umeagbalasi and Head, Publicity Desk, Justus Ijeoma, the petition was addressed 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, and Chairman, Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Mbama Okiro. It is copied to the Inspector General of Police himself, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha.

In it Intersociety wrote: “We wish to protest against the 19th February, 2014 elevation to next ranks of 1,402 senior police officers. The promotions involved those in the ranks of ASP to CP. In the promotion exercise, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, compiled the names of those promoted and sent to the Police Service Commission, which announced them as compiled as “newly promoted officers”. Same thing happened in the 6th February, 2014 redeployment of senior police officers, when the IGP first “ordered” the redeployment and later transmitted it to the Police Service Commission, which said it “approved” based on IGP’s “recommendation”(please see NPF and PSC websites for more details).

“Surprisingly, in defining the powers of the Police Service Commission (PSC) to “appoint persons to offices (other than the office of the IGP) in the Nigeria Police Force; and dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding the offices so referred”, Supplementary Section 30 of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999, as amended in 2011 under Part 1 of her Third Schedule, and Section 6 (1a-f) of the Police Service Commission Establishment Act of January 4, 2001 have no provisions whatsoever for “promoting on the recommendation of the IGP” or “approval of redeployment of police officers on the recommendation of the IGP”. Also Section 6(2) of the PSC Act clearly states: “The Commission shall not be subject to the direction, control or supervision of any other authority or person in the performance of its functions other than as is prescribed in this Act”. These policy assertions by the PSC are strange, imported, concocted and unconstitutional.

“In the promotion under reference, one serving CP was made AIG, six serving DCPs were made CPs, seven serving ACPs were made DCPs, seven serving CSPs were made ACPs, 242 serving SPs were made CSPs, 424 serving DSPs were made SPs and 715 serving ASPs were made DSPs. This brings the total number of senior police officers promoted to 1, 402. With this exercise, there are now one Inspector General of Police, seven Deputy Inspectors General of Police, 22 Assistant Inspectors General of Police, 93 Commissioners of Police, 180 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 398 Assistant Commissioners of Police and 1, 142 Chief Superintendents of Police serving in the Nigeria Police Force, totaling 1, 843 senior police officers occupying the ranks of CSP to IGP. We understand that three “police officers’ lists” exist in the NPF and they are: “CSP-IGP Senior Police Staff List”, “ASP-SP Officers’ List” and “Constable-Inspector Officers’ List”. By virtue of the Nigeria Police Act of 1st April 1930, as amended, any police person from Constable to IGP is referred to as “Police Officer”.

“Again, the promotion exercise under reference was carried out in total disregard to the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999, as amended in 2011 and the Federal Character Establishment Act of 1996. The exercise was also ethnically and geopolitically lopsided. Out of all the promotions made especially from the ranks of ACP to AIG, none came from the Southeast geopolitical zone. For instance, newly promoted AIG Adeola Adeniji Adeleke, who is a Course 9 CP, is from Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria. He was born on 17th May, 1956 and enlisted into the NPF on 1st August 1980. He was last promoted CP on 15th December, 2006 and will be due for retirement on 1st August 2015. He holds Bachelors of Science degree in Sociology. AIG Adeola Adeniyi Adeleke entered the Force same year (1980) with CPs Hilary Opara and Felix Osita Uyanna, who became CPs on 18th December 2006 and 6th October, 2007 respectively. The three officers under reference are Course 9 Officers (enrolled as graduate ASP Cadet in 1980) and they will pull out of the NPF in 2015.

“The six newly promoted CPs are 1. Abdul Bube (Sokoto State, Northwest), 2. Abubakar Marafa (Kebbi State, Northwest), 3. Dan Bature (Plateau State, North-central), 4. Karma Hosea Hassan (Taraba State, Northeast), 5. Augustine O. Evbakhabokun (Edo State, South-south) and 6. Esosa A.M. Amadasun (Edo State, South-south). The seven newly promoted DCPs are 1. Felix Gochuk Gani (Bauchi State, Northeast), 2. Ibrahim Sabo Umar (Bauchi State, Northeast), 3. Joseph Gobun Mukan (Plateau State, North-central), 4. Wakili Mohammed (Gombe State, Northeast), 5. Awunah H. Donald (Benue State, North-central), 6. Mohammed Jimoh (Kwara State, North-central) and 7. Yahi Kwajima (Borno State, Northeast). The seven newly promoted ACPs are 1. Shola A.L. Fabamise (Lagos State, Southwest), 2. Adamu Koninkito (Adamawa State, Northeast), 3. Iliya Madaki Yamu (Nasarawa State, North-central), 4. Ibrahim Usman (Kaduna State, Northwest), 5. Chinedu Chinaka (Rivers State, South-south), Dauda Waja (Adamawa State, Northeast) and 7. Michael Aliyu (Niger State, North-central). The biological and geopolitical identities of 242 SPs elevated to CSPs in the promotion exercise are still under investigation.”

Intersociety promised to give further details in part two of the petition entitled “Sectional & Ethno-Religious Domination Of The NPF: A Demand For A Just & Balanced Police Force In Nigeria (Part One)”. It lamented that nothing had changed since its three-part petition released February on 4, 5 and 6, 2014 which alleged that the Nigeria Police Force “with its traditional heterogeneous setting, has been converted and compressed into an ethno-religious and sectional police establishment under the headship of IGP, Mr. Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar.”

According to Intersociety, “This is done through grave and gross lopsidedness in promotions and postings of key officers in the Force, especially those occupying the ranks of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Commissioner of Police (CP), Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and Inspector General of Police (IGP). On 9th day of February, 2014, the Force Headquarters, through the FPRO reacted (see Sunday Newswatch, page 1 & 2, 09/02/2014) and on 11th day of February, 2014, we responded to the FPRO’s reaction (Nigeria Police Force: Defending The Indefensible via google).”

Continuing, the Onitsha-based rights group wrote in its latest petition: “The lopsidedness is gravely and grossly extended to posting of those senior officers promoted. While those referred to as the “bokwois” (first class citizens/born to rule) are given juicy and strategic postings, the “banzas” (inferior/born to be ruled) are assigned “tea-making” and “office file cleaning” duties. Some strategic and juicy duty positions in the Nigeria Police Force are: twelve NPF Zonal Commands, headed by AIGs; 36 State and the FCT Commands, headed by CPs; Police Mobile Squadrons, headed by a CP; Police Border Patrols, headed by a CP; Federal Highway Patrols, headed by a CP; Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F/SARS), headed by a CP, Police Airport Authority, headed by a CP, Police Marine, headed by a CP, Area Commands, Operations and State Criminal Investigations Departments, headed by ACPs; Special Protection Units (SPUs), State SARS, Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATSs), Anti-Vandalism Squads (AVSs) and Divisional Police Stations (DPSs), all headed by SUPOLS (CSPs/SPs/DSPs/ASPs). The present headship of these strategic duty positions in the NPF is ethno-religiously and geopolitically lopsided.

“The above unwritten lopsided policy of IGP, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar is a grave and gross violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended in 2011, especially her Section 14 (3). It also violates gravely the Federal Character Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1996. Section 14(3) of the Constitution clearly states: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies (i.e. NPF) and conduct of its affairs (i.e. assignment of top police duties) shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies”. The Federal Character Commission Establishment Act of the Federation of 1996 was created to ensure the “implementation and enforcement of the 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”.”

•Photo shows IGP Abubakar.

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