Police officers protest alleged witch-hunting, tribalism

Some aggrieved police officers say recent transfers and postings of officers across the country violates principle of fairness in the force 

They claim the IGP, Ibrahim Idris has flooded strategic commands and units with his kinsmen from Niger state  

Others allege that the IGP has embarked on vendetta against officers hoping to ascend to higher positions in the force in future

Some officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have accused the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP) Ibrahim Idris, of witch-hunting, tribalism and favouritism. 

The aggrieved policemen told Vanguard that recent transfers and postings of officers across the country violated principle of fairness in the force. While some claimed the IGP has flooded strategic commands and units with his kinsmen from Niger State, others alleged that he has embarked on vendetta against officers hoping to ascend to higher positions in the force in future. Some have cited the case of the Assistant Inspector- General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, Abdulmajid Ali, who was deployed to Force Headquarters, Abuja. 

According to accounts by the policemen, Ali, who had barely spent two months in the zone, was replaced with the former commissioner of Police in Lagos, Aderanti, who would be graduating soon from the national institute of policy and strategic studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Jos. “We had never seen such remarkable improvement in zone 2 before now. We are protesting because we are sure that he is a victim of dirty politics and favouritism which will not augur well for the Police,” the officers said. 

“Some of the changes Ali was said to have made when he commenced duties included the massive training of officers and men of the zone by establishing a tactical training ground in Ogun and Ikorodu in Lagos State. He also said to have set up three zonal intervention squads to track kidnappers, thereby bringing sanity to the zone. 

“As soon as he assumed office, he embarked on a cleansing exercise that led to the transfer of no fewer than 250 erring officers and men from the zone which has about 650 policemen. These were our colleagues that had over-stayed in the zone and their activities had continued to be inimical to the efficient and effective performance of their duties.” 

After that, he set up a monitoring unit and X- Squad to check the excesses of those still there,” the officers added. The officers called on the IGP to reconsider the posting of Ali, noting that his removal would dampen the spirit of hard work which he planted in men of the zone. 

Meanwhile, former IGP Solomon Arase has denied again that the Nigeria police seized 19 vehicles from him, Premium Times reports. Arase was quoted as saying in a statement released on Monday, October 24 that the reports were untrue and was an evil campaign against him. Arase threatened in the statement that he would sue to court of law “those desperate to tarnish his image”.