What Buhari should look for in new IGP as Adamu retires

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, on Sunday identified the qualities President Muhammadu Buhari should scout for in selecting the next Inspector General of Police, IGP.

HURIWA said Buhari should select a tested, trusted, competent and professionally meritorious patriotic Nigeria Police Officer, NPF, as the next IGP.

The frontline Rights group made the remark ahead of the retirement of the current IGP Mohammed Adamu, scheduled for February 1, 2021.

The rights group, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko warned against the continuous toleration of crass incompetence and the general collapse of professionalism and discipline in the NPF.

HURIWA said: “Buhari should scout for a tested, trusted, competent and professionally meritorious patriotic Nigerian Police Officer to step in as the next Inspector General of Police with the imminent retirement of the current IGP Mohammed Adamu scheduled for February 1st 2021.”

The rights group said though it has no objection to the extension of tenures of Service Chiefs of the core Armed Forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Police Force stands out distinctively different from these core armed forces segments.

The rights group claimed the inability of the police to curb internal security breaches was the reason the Armed forces segments such as the Nigerian Army are overstretched and overburdened with internal security operations which ordinarily the Nigeria Police ought to statutorily be in charge of.

HURIWA said, “Therefore let nobody compare the extension of services granted to the heads of the Armed forces leading the counter-terror measures in the theatres of counter-terrorism to be same as that of the office of the IGP who manifest failures have compelled the Army to take up statutory policing duties and routines to stop criminals from destroying and over-running Nigeria”.

HURIWA reminded Buhari that the new Police Act he signed in September 2020 provides for a tenure of four years for the Inspector-General of Police.

The new law excludes persons on the rank of Commissioner of Police and below from being appointed to the position.

Section 7 sub-section 2 of the act provides that: “The person to be appointed as Inspector-General of Police shall be a senior police officer not below the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police with the requisite academic qualification of not less than a first degree or its equivalent, in addition to professional or management experience.”The section also pegs the tenure of the police chief as four years.”