It remains unarguably true that Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, is one of the finest officers the Nigerian Police Force has ever produced. A peep into his resume reveals he is an officer who underestimates his own achievements or importance. Before becoming IGP, Adamu had worked at the highest level of global policing institution like the Interpol, where he rose to an enviable height. His rich and unparalleled pedigree is evident in the rapid transformation he has brought into the Police Force since his appointment.
Sadly, instead of supporting him to achieve the total transformation of the Nigeria Police Force, mischief makers, under all forms of guise, have gone into the market square with their propaganda tools and pull-him-down techniques. They have engaged a section of the media to tarnish his globally earned reputation.
Unfortunately for them, the more they try to distract the IGP, the more his approval ratings soar because Nigerians of good conscience have since confirm IGP Adamu’s purity of motives for the Police.
First, they started with the Police recruitment saga. The first question to ask is should a distinguished Police Officer like IGP Adamu be ignorant of global best practices in managing the Police Institution? If not for shear mischief, having worked the better part of his carrier life in Interpol, are the unrepentant detractors saying the IGP is not competent? Certainly no! Denying the IGP of playing significant role in Police recruitment is like hiring a coach and at same time denying him of the liberty to select the players he wants to work with.
Instead of seeing issues from the IGP’s point of view, the Police Service Commission decided to employ cheap propaganda capable of distracting the IGP. First, they alleged that the list of successful recruits has been padded by the police. The top echelon of the Police Force, according to the PSC, has infiltrated the recruitment exercise. They accused the Police led by IGP Adamu of removing some names of candidates who have been tested and found suitable for recruitment and replaced them with persons who did not go through the recruitment exercise.
This allegation is the instance is preposterous because IGP, a fine Police Officer of Interpol standard is not capable of such as he is fully aware of the implications of having untested hands in the Police. The allegation, like many others, is just a calculated attempt at causing disaffection between the amiable IGP Adamu and Nigerians he loves so much.
Their attempt is to create bad blood between him and President Muhammadu Buhari, but thank goodness, he is not like them. He has called for amicable working relationship between the Police and Police Service Commission. To validate their argument, they introduced bribery allegation into it to whip up sentiment against the Police institution. But like the previous attempts, the clandestine move fell like pack of cards.
Their attacks against IGP Adamu is frontal and on all fronts. As if the PSC’s dubious fight is not enough, another wicked lies was cooked up recently by Nasiba, daughter of Sani Dauda, a former chairman of Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited. In her theatric story, Nasiba alleged that Mohammed Adamu, the inspector-general of police (IGP), is harassing her family.
The Nasiba’s story continues. She said her family was being targeted over her refusal to remain in a legally dissolved marriage with Abubakar Musa, her ex-husband, who she claims is a childhood friend of the IGP. According to her, the policemen, who reportedly acted on the directive of the IGP, could not produce any warrant to effect the arrest
Is it not clear that Nasiba is acting a script written by the IGP’s detractors? How can people be so heartless as to make up such wicked lies to tarnish a hard earned reputation? The whole Nasiba story doesn’t add up. She tried frantically to convince us in a disjointed fairy tale that an IGP that has spent over 30 years of meritorious service in the Nigeria Police Force will order an arrest without a warrant.
This narrative is akin to Hotel California story. Even in the good old days when tales are told to children by moonlight, this kind of unintelligent lies is subject to rebuke. This is too cheap a lie to make meaning. Nasiba and her sponsors should look for something to say. It is too late in the day for the IGP to be distracted.
Repositioning the Nigerian Police is a course he has set to do and it must be accomplished. Mischief makers take note! Those of us who know IGP Adamu and refer to him those good old days as Mr Bestman, and one thing is certain, that in no distant future under his watch, the Nigeria Police Force Will soon become the best Police Force in the world.
Ibrahim is Director of Communication and Strategic Planning of the Presidential Support Committee
