President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has relieved the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba of his appointment and duties with immediate effect.
President Jonathan has also appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase as Acting Inspector-General of Police, also with immediate effect.
Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.
Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law, as well as Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies.
He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College.
Police sources told Huhuonline.com from the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force that the announcement had resulted in confusion.
“I am in the office now and there is confusion everywhere. Officers are only talking in hush tones; we don’t know what is happening because nobody has come out to address us. I don’t know if the IG is in the office or not because he has not come out yet,” a police officer at the Force Headquarters said.
Calls made to Force spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu, were not taken. A text message sent to him was not also replied.
Abba’s short tenure had witnessed a lot of controversies with many Nigerians calling for his head.
The Network of Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN) had recently called for his sack listing many alleged sins of his administration both against the police and Nigerians.
According to NOPRIN, under Abba, the police had grown from bad to worse.
“The current IGP, Mr. Suleiman Abba, lacks the will, professionalism, the leadership qualification and competence to lead a police in a modern democracy.
“The IGP has failed to exhibit the commitment and competence to improve in the areas where his predecessors did not fare very well. He failed to make it clear to the police officers that their duty is to serve and protect their communities and not to prey on them.
“He has allowed corruption, torture, brutality and killings to remain the order of the day in the police by failing to punish and deter misconduct and abuses when they occur,” the organisation had said, while further accusing him of extreme partisanship and being used by politicians to create tension in the country.
However, a source within the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the President was not happy with the Inspector-General for failing to meet “the target” demanded of him.
He said it was believed that many of Abba’s men betrayed the President and his party during the elections.
“I can’t give you details, but he is the first casualty. Keep your fingers crossed because more would be axed soon. The President alone cannot fall, some must go down with him and Abba is the first.
“To tell you the level of betrayal, don’t you see how the police hierarchy immediately switched loyalty when the President lost? It immediately restored Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s security details and started re-directing its loyalty,” the top politician said.
