Why 21 AIGs were sacked, reveals Idris

...We’re going to enforce policemen declaration of assets 

 

The Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, is a senior police officer, whom many Nigerians have not heard about until his appointment by the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration as the number one policeman in Nigeria. In this close up chat with JULIANA FRANCIS, Idris reveals some of the changes he was already making in the force. He also explains why the 21 sacked Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIG), had to go. Excerpts;

There have been allegations of corruption against past administrations and lopsided promotions. Are you going to do anything about it?

I was in Maiduguri yesterday. During questions time, a woman Inspector came forward and said people who used to salute her before, have now become her senior.

Before I travelled, last week to be precise, I also got a petition from the House of Representatives on police promotions. If you go through media reports, like some of my PPROs that have been monitoring reports, you would see concern of police officers about promotions.

I am sure you are aware that in my inaugural speech, I said we were going to run a democratic police. I spent eight years in the United Nations and so, those attribute are already in me.

We will run the police based on three principles of democratic policing worldwide- responsible, accountable and representative police. A police that represents the community and meet their yearnings.

I know the issue of promotions has a dampening effect on the affected persons. The woman Inspector was close to tears while she was talking. I know how it feels because I was a Commissioner of Police for five years. Some officers who became CP, were promoted to AIGs under two years.

So, I told them we had discussed the issue with my new management team before I travelled and that we were going to investigate it. We are going to set up a panel to look into it to be sure that the promotions were done in accordance with laid down rules of the Police Service Commission (PSC). The PSC is in charge of promotions from the rank of Constables to Deputy Inspectors General of Police(DIG). This is a constitutional issue.

What of contracts inflation? It’s another allegation levied against the last police administration?

We have started auditing of police investments units. It is after that audit that we can take action. Why we are interested in the investment unit is because every policeman from the IGP to Constable contributes to it from their salary. Every policeman contributes to these investments. These are people's properties and we have to make the units transparent and accountable. The day you’re recruited as a policeman, there are some money they cut off from your salary once the person has been recruited. They call it police insurance. The money is N370. 000. Every policeman, from the rank of constable, to IGP, contributes money to it.  The money is for policemen. It’s part of their ‘property.’ In my inaugural address, I said I would make those units transparent and accountable.

The largest number of serving policemen are the rank and file and so, they should have more say on how that money is used. What I am trying to find out is whether the money are being utilised with some level of conscience, morality and accountability. It is the audit that would tell us and our action will be based on the report.

The other issue about corruption: honestly, I do not want people to feel I am witch-hunting anyone. Based on principle, if we have complaints, we will investigate. That I can assure you. That is why I have stressed that we will run a transparent, responsive and representative administration. Responsive in that if members of the public feel they were not properly treated, they can complain and we will investigate.

I have heard so many rumours, but as a policeman, I must take decisions based on concrete evidences. If someone comes forward and says he/she did a contract in 2011 and has not been paid, whereas, those who did a contract in 2013 and decided to forgo 20 per cent have been paid, we are duty  bound to investigate.

Let me give you another story, when I came in, based on report from my first transport officer and also from my own observation- because from my office, when you look through the window, you will see cars, but a week to my appointment, all the cars disappeared. They vanished. On Friday, I signed  a directive to my  Special Investigations Panel. I set it up. It will investigate all the vehicles purchased by police and those donated and the distribution of those vehicles in the last three years. We are going to look into that. There no vehicles to use.

I discovered that the last IGP went with 24 vehicles. Some of the Deputy Inspectors General of Police(DIG), went with seven cars, others eight. The IGP vehicles include BMW seven series two; he left me with an old car. Even the one I went with to see the president. If you see the headlight, it has changed colour. It means it had been parked under rain and sun for long.

The new ones, including BMW seven series and armoured, he went with all of them. They are part of the 24 cars. I wrote to him, I told him that we have a policy in the police. Once a policeman retires, whether as IGP, Assistant Inspector General of Police(AIG) or Commissioner of Police, you’re entitled to some vehicles. The number of vehicles for IGP are four. Four vehicles are enough for anyone. But he took 24 vehicles, including two BMW cars. I have written to him and the DIGs.

You were appointed as IGP, when the country seemed to be at war over recurring insecurity. What are going to do to ensure the insecurity is contained?

I said something in my inaugural speech. When you analysis that speech, you’ll understand a lot of things. We’re trying to tackle criminality in our streets, neighbourhood and communities. We want to strengthen the Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS). We are going to strengthen them by restructuring them. We’ll put them in more effective structure, with proper supervisions. Number two, we are going to train them to respect the rights of individuals. They would teach them to do and know what is right. Three, we shall give them equipment to enable them to operate effectively. Part of our training will be the police picking resource persons from media and civil society organisations to train them.

We are right now trying to curb incidents of violent crimes. Kidnapping and murder are part of them. In Rivers, I changed all area commanders. I also changed all SARS leaders and Mobile Police Force Commanders. I also carried out the same changes in Kogi State. The rate of kidnapping is high in Kogi State. I removed them, because the feelers we had was that some of these have compromised. Kidnapping has reduced in Kogi State. Even in Rivers State, because I changed all the area commanders. Even if anyone wants to reach out to the new ones just posted there, it would take time.

The morale of rank and file policemen,  is very low. What are you brining on board? What are your four points agenda and how are they going to work?

I understand what you’re saying. If you had been at Force Headquarters on the day I was appointed, you would have noticed something. It was as if the place exploded. Much is expected from our rank and file policemen. I was touched by the jubilation I witnessed on my appointment.

Could it be, because you grew through the ranks?

I don’t know. But I was a cadet officer. It’s simply because they believed in me. To some many Nigerians, I’m a new face. But the truth of the matter is that I have been training policemen for years. I was in Gworza for five years. Most of today present inspectors; the cadet inspectors, went through me. They know my character. They believe I can change their lives positively.

Nothing dampens morale, more than the fact that when you’re due for promotion, you wouldn’t be promoted. We are seriously looking into that issue.

Also, we are looking into issues of welfare. Immediately I assumed office, I called and asked the AIG, while salaries are being delayed. But now and henceforth, policemen will receive their salaries before month end. Last month, they received it before the end of the month. Most of them were happy. Usually, it was always a week or two weeks into the next month before they get salaries. We going to continue to promptly pay them their salaries.

Another issue of welfare is accommodation. My aim is that every policeman should have his/her own accommodation. To be sincere and frank with you, the former IGP, tried  immensely on that aspect. He tried in accommodation issue. Right now, all we need to do, is to improve on it and have more houses. Right now also, we received a lot of offers.

Barracks are temporary, but your house is yours. If you have  a house, after retirement, you move to your home. But with Police Barracks, it’s not like that. We’ll going to approach the Federal Government and see how possible it would be for us to provide accommodation for our mobile policemen and other special units. These policemen are the ones that are supposed to be in the barracks.

The conventional policemen are actually supposed to live within communities, mix with them. That’s how they would be able to fish out criminals. All over the world, special police units stay in barracks. It’s actually a government policy. If the conventional policeman lives in town, the government is actually supposed to pay his rent.

I was shocked when I went to lecture some policemen last week and they told me that salaries of those residing in barracks are usually deducted. 

Yes, they used to deduct the accommodation fee from their salaries.

I couldn’t believe it. We’re going to look into it. It’s absolutely wrong. If you’re living in Police Barracks, you’re not supposed to pay a dime. It’s criminal! The government has paid it. The building itself belonged to the Federal Government. It’s only when policemen go and rent houses aside, they government pay rent subsidy. I have promised to look into it. And if I find anyone at fault, the person would be held liable.

You’ve been a mobile policeman most of your life. And when you came on board as the IGP, you instructed that mobile policemen attached to ‘big men’ should be withdrawn…

We having problems in the Niger Delta, from Lagos, up to Calabar. I was in Calabar for five years I have deployed men to Calabar, Port Harcourt and Lagos. Between 1990 and 1996, mobile policemen were in charge of oil pipelines. Our men used to sleep on the spot of those pipelines. We call where they stay at the pipelines, float stations. The float stations seem to be right out from the waters. They take only their mattresses and police buy mosquito nets. Those days, they were protecting the oil pipelines, 24/7.

My first visit to Niger Delta and discovered that police presence there is  very scanty. We are looking at deploying policemen and which policemen are going to deploy there? It’s mobile and marine policemen. We need a lot of mobile policemen to cover those areas. This is why I said we’re going to discourage mobile policemen to be used as guards.

A mobile policeman is not trained to be a guard. Mobile is a special unit and acts in cohesive manner, in a group. You don’t scatter them to go and be carrying handbags. The thing however is that wealthy people are always afraid. We going to strengthen the Special Protection Unit of the Nigeria Police Force. Yes, we’re going to be coming out with more policies.

It seemed you have changed all mobile commanders.

Yes! I have changed virtually all of them. Do you know why? The reality is that while I was CP Mobile, I discovered a lot of things. The men told me that to become a mobile police commander, they would asked to pay N500,000. To curb that. We decided to cut off some of these commanders. They came, not to work or patriotic reasons, but because they gave money to influence their postings and would want to make money back. They want to recoup their money. We have changed them and we are going to restructure the mobile. We are also going to train and retrain them. I have been in mobile for 17 years, I know what I’m saying. The mobile in the old days, is different from what we have on ground today. In those days, you can’t see a mobile policeman on the streets. It was impossible!

Are you going to take all the mobile policemen back to the barracks?
Obviously, that’s what I have been saying. We are going to work on their barracks. We’ll write to the state governments to  assist us. A mobile police squadron, that doesn’t have a barrack, is not a mobile policeman.

People blamed you for the sack of the 21 AIGs. We heard you said you couldn’t work with them. What really transpired?

I want you to understand one thing; the Nigeria Police Force, didn’t begin and ends with me. The same thing in the military. And in Nigeria and everywhere, uniform personnel have a tradition. Why would anybody say I’m the one that caused their sack? I mean, it’s common sense. It happened in the military, not long ago. During Minimah, how many officers were retired?

You also need to understand, that what’s happening such talks is because we are all human beings. Imagine, you are together, with your mates and they jump you, to pick someone below you; there’s no way you would be happy or satisfied. It’s a natural, human feeling. I didn’t appoint myself. It was the government that appointed me. It’s the government that decided to pick someone below, not me. I however guessed that government picked someone from below and retired the AIGs because the government want police to have a focused administration, institution. The Police Service Commission Chairman, Sir Mike Okiro, is a retired IGP. He said something. He went down memory lane. He knew what he was saying…

But Okiro allowed Onovo, his senior to work with him after he was appointed IGP?

No, I  don’t think so. I believe Okiro came after Onovo. Onovo only had problem with Ehindero. Ehindero was appointed, when Onovo was his senior.

Rising cases of kidnapping have become worrisome in the south west parts of Nigeria. Is there any immediate plan to check it?

It’s not just south west. It’s all over Nigeria. Kidnapping should be attacked through intelligence. We are trying to build the capacity of the police intelligence. They have however been trying. But we are going to build their capacity more. We don’t want to leak our plans. In my first meeting with the President, he said that anything I need to enhance security in Nigeria, I shouldn’t hesitate to write to him. I’m going to do just that. I’m going to take my time and go round the country, to check on each state and the security challenges.

Some policemen, posted to areas like Arepo, have nowhere to sleep and complained they were not paid their allowances…

I don’t know when they owed them their allowances, but two weeks after my resumption, there was an attack in that area. I personally signed the cheque for their allowances. I’m sure they paid them. On the issue of special duty; it’s clear they are there for special purposes. If we tell them to wait, that we want to build where they would live, while on the special duty, it would be months before they head to those trouble spots.  The regulation is very clear on the duties of the Mobile Police Force. They are to serve as the striking force of the Nigeria Police. When you are in the mobile, you’re supposed to be there just for three years; that’s what the regulation says. But sometimes, because of requirements and because we need experienced people, some can be in mobile for years. The point I’m making however is that when you are in the mobile, you should be there 24/7. It also means that you can be deployed at any time. As a mobile policeman, you don’t have any right to complain. It’s a voluntary work. When you’re in mobile, you should be ready to be subjected to a lot of things. It’s a requirement of the service. Like what happened in Arepo, if we want to wait to build tents, the community would be in trouble. Arepo needed prompt security and sent our mobile men immediately. That’s the major reason that unit was created. When I was in Gworza, anything you see, you eat. You’re trained to be hard.  Anyone who joins mobile should be expected to fulfill the requirements. You move to particular areas when ordered and you don’t complain.

Some police contractors have been paid since 2000. Do you have any plan to pay them?

I won’t pay it! The contracts are not from me. It wasn’t done during my administration. What I can however say is that, if there are available funds to settle these liabilities, I would. If such money is available, I wouldn’t pocket it, would I? God forbid.

You said policemen should declare their assets. Have they started responding?

I have declared my assets. I’m a policeman, so others should declare theirs. Every policeman must declare his assets. What’s the big deal in a policeman declaring his assets?

Is there a deadline for such declarations?

Section 13 of the Code of Conduct Act requires that every civil servant declares assets. When I was working with UN, we used to declare our assets. It’s actually one of the cultures I brought back from the UN. It’s compulsory and a legal obligation. I didn’t even say rank and file. I said from ASP and above, should declare assets. I have declared mine, others should follow. I lead by example. To ensure they do, I instructed that a copy of such declaration should be given to our intelligence office. It’ through there, we would get statistics of those that complied and those that didn’t. We are going to enforce it. I however, haven’t started taking note of the statistics.