President Goodluck Jonathan last Thursday approved the appointment of Suleiman Abba as the new acting Inspector General of Police with effect from August 1. Until now, Abba was an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 7, comprising Abuja, Kaduna and Niger States. He takes over from Mohammed Abubakar, who has proceeded on statutory retirement, having completed 35 years in service.
There is no doubt that the immediate past IGP did his best during his tenure amid great security challenges in the country. The new IGP, Abba, has come into office at an even more challenging time that all forms of criminal activities including armed robbery, kidnapping and insurgency, are on the rise. This daunting security situation in the country will make the task of protecting lives and property particularly onerous for the police under the leadership of the new IGP, but Nigerians expect him to rise to the challenge and make a difference.
Going by his experience in his previous duty posts as AIG in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Federal Capital Territory, Deputy Force Secretary, as well as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Abba should be well prepared for the current assignment.
To effectively discharge the functions of his office, therefore, we expect him to comprehensively articulate the challenges of the job and design a policy that will aid his success in the assignment.
In this regard, he must bear in mind the need to reform the force. The Nigeria Police Force is in dire need of a facelift that will make it more responsive, public-friendly and effective. The security agency also needs far reaching measures that will help reform the psyche of the rank and file, and make them conform to basic democratic norms in the discharge of their duties. Our policemen are sorely in need of re-orientation to see themselves as friends of the Nigerian people, and not adversaries or overlords.
This re-orientation will help to change the poor public perception of our policemen. It will also minimize the spate of extra-judicial killings and the mindless extortion of the people by the police. It should also imbue in police officers new respect for the rule of law and social justice. It should end the bad image that has continued to define the police in the country.
Beyond this, the new IGP should do everything in his power to improve the welfare of policemen. This will make them more dedicated to their duties. Also, there should be renewed impetus for equipping the police. The force is currently plagued by poor infrastructure, a factor often cited by police authorities for the failure to discharge their duties creditably.
In this connection, we implore government to provide necessary funding for the procurement of the equipment needed to fight crime. This has become even more expedient at this time of insurgency and other forms of criminal activities that have made life unsafe in the country. There is no gainsaying the fact that if the government is to win the war against terrorism, the Nigeria Police Force must be adequately equipped with modern communication gadgets and a rich arsenal of arms and ammunition. This is currently not the case in the country.
Nigerians expect a professional force. We believe that a strong and responsible police will help firm up the foundation of our democracy. We can only achieve this through improved remuneration, training and equipping of our force.
Undoubtedly, the task before Abba is not an easy one. He needs the cooperation of the entire police force, the Federal and State governments, as well as the general public. But, he must have his own blueprint on how to get his job done. He should bring his experience to bear on his new assignment as the chief cop of the country.
It is, however, heartening that the new IGP has already outlined some of his priorities. These include a re-alignment of the police, intelligence gathering and surveillance, as well as all-round policing. He should live up to this agenda that he has set for himself.
