The President, Muhammadu Buhari has
failed to summon a meeting of the Nigeria Police Council for the past 21 months
despite the rising insecurity in the country.
Investigations by our correspondent indicated that the last
time the council met was on May 23, 2019, when it confirmed the appointment of
Abubakar Adamu as the substantive Inspector-General of Police at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President had on January 15, 2019, appointed Adamu as
acting IGP following the retirement of IGP Ibrahim Idris.
Adamu’s appointment was ratified in May by the council members, comprising the President who is the chairman, all state governors, Minister of Interior, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, and the Permanent Secretary of the commission.
Though Adamu is expected to leave the office on Monday
(today), having reached the mandatory retirement age, the silence from the
Presidency and failure of the council to meet are giving confusing signals in
the police.
Our correspondent had earlier reported moves by Adamu to
secure tenure extension to enable him to complete the ongoing reforms in the
police.
The silence from the Presidency and the inability of the
police council to meet and appoint Adamu’s successor is strengthening rumours
that the President may have approved additional months in office for him.
Buhari had granted the privilege to the immediate past
Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Muhammadu
Gana, the service chiefs who overstayed in office by five years and the
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede.
Meanwhile, the President did not summon a meeting of the
Nigeria Police Council to deliberate security challenge confronting the
country.
Under the IG, the country recorded an increase in mass
abductions, including the kidnapping of over 333 students of the Government
Science School, Kankara, Katsina State, by suspected bandits; rise in banditry
and killings in Zamfara, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna states and the killings by
hoodlums last October during the #EndSARS protests.
The inability of the security system to manage the security
crises across the country led to the creation of the Western Nigeria Security
Network codenamed Amotekun and the planned establishment of a security group by
the South-East governors.
Commenting on the failure of the police council to meet
during various national security crises, a security risk management and
Intelligence Specialist, Kabir Adamu, observed that apart from the police
council, other key security platforms,
including the Joint Intelligence Board have also not been meeting.
He said, “To our utter amazement, it is the National
Economic Council that issues directives in the realm of security. You remember
when #EndSARS happened, it was the National Economic Council that issued
directives that led to the formation of the state judicial panels. That is one
grey area that this administration has not been effective.”
The security expert argued that several security crises in
the country should have prompted the convening of the meeting of the police
council and other key platforms.
Adamu further stated, “For the police council, several
things have come up, including the controversy surrounding the formation of
Amotekun, the Eastern Security Network; and the banditry and kidnap-for-ransom
all across the country but more in North-Central.
“All these are serious security issues that should have led
to the convening of the police council meeting because they affect principally
the policing in the country and how the deficiency of policing is negatively
affecting national security.”
He noted that the piecemeal security arrangements by
governors would not work, stressing the importance of convening the meeting of
the various national security platforms.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Sunday evening failed
as he did not take his calls.
A Presidency official who did not want his name mentioned,
however disclosed that the issue of the retiring IGP and his possible
replacement was not complex.
He said, “It is not a complex issue at all. If a government
official is given an assignment to do and his term expires, even if a
replacement has not been named, the natural step is to identify the most senior
official after him and hand over to the person.
“It is a straightforward matter. The IGP knows when he is
due for retirement based on records. Once no directive has been given to him
officially to continue and no replacement has been announced, he knows who is
next to him. It is a simple matter.”
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