Ref.: Intersociety/SE/NG/02/014/FGN/ABJ/FRN
1. His Excellency
Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria & Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces
Thro
Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Secretary to the Government of the Federation
The SGF Office, Shehu Shagari Complex
Three Arms Zone, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria
2. Senator David Mark, President of the Senate, Federal Republic of
Nigeria
Thro
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs
The Senate Chambers, National Assembly Complex
Three Arms Zones, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria
3. Honourable Aminu Tambuwal
Speaker, House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Thro
The Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs
The House of Reps Chambers, National Assembly Complex
Three Arms Zone, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria
4. Prof. Shuaibu Oba AbdulRaheem
Executive Chairman, Federal Character Commission
The FCC Headquarters, Plot 64, First Avenue
Off Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama
FCT, Abuja, Nigeria
Sirs,
Unmasking
“Dogari/Dansanda” Policy In The Nigeria Police Force And A Case
Against Sectional Domination In Promotions & Postings Of Key
Officers In The Force (Part One)
In our last letter
(Averting Chaos & Bloodletting In 2015 General Polls) to the Presidency and
the leaderships of the National Assembly, dated 13th day of
January, 2014, one of our demands was the presidential intervention in the
lopsided promotions and postings characterizing the present leadership of the
Nigeria Police Force, headed by the Inspector General of the Police, Mr.
Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar. Sadly, the wicked policy has not only continued, but
also risen to an apogee, to the extent that one of Nigeria’s leading federating
partners: Southeast geopolitical zone is in a verge of being erased in the high
command hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force, through the policies of
“promotion dormancy and tea-making duty assignments/postings”.
Except drastic
constitutional measures, such as immediate intervention of the President, in
his capacity as “Chairman of the Nigeria Police Council” and
“Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces”, are taken urgently; otherwise, no
senior police officer of Southeast extraction will occupy the rank
of AIG in the immediate time and DIG in the next ten years or more, not to talk
of becoming an IGP. Already, except timely presidential intervention, Southeast
zone has lost the possibility of producing the next Inspector General of Police
when the present IGP, Mr. Mohammed D. Abubakar retires on 30th July,
2014, having lost the headship of the Army in recent shake up in the Service
Chiefs.
This is because no
senior police officer from the zone presently serves as AIG, out of the
country’s 21 serving AIGs and the only serving DIG from the zone (Emmanuel
Kachi Udeoji) will retire on 9th of September, 2014. The
Southeast case is made worse by the fact that out of eight (8) serving CPs from
the zone, three will retire this year (2014), three next year (2015) and two
next two years (2016). The present IGP (M.D. Abubakar), who will retire in next
six months (30th July), was appointed IGP on 25th of
January, 2012. By the end of his tenure, he would have served two years and six
months as IGP.
It is recalled that the
leadership of this organization- International Society for Civil
Liberties & the Rule of Law-Intersociety, had in May 2013 made two
representations to the President & Commander-in-Chief over
lopsided promotions and postings in the Nigeria Police Force high command(esp.
ACPs to IGP), which gravely violates the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 including
her Section 14 (3). The letters were predicated on promotions carried on 3rd of
April, 2013 by the Police Service Commission, which said it acted based on
“IGP’s recommendations”. The seeming inaction of the President &
Commander-in-Chief, emboldened the prompters and promoters of this “dogari
policy”, to the extent that it has become a wicked norm in the present leadership
of the NPF.
Since then, three sets
of promotions, “on the recommendations of the IGP”, have been carried out with
patently lopsidedness and gross breach of the federal character principle. In
the September 27, 2013 promotions, four (4) CPs (Ballah Mogaji Nasarawa- Kebi
State, Northwest), Mohammed J. Gana( Niger State, North-central), Sabo Ringim
(Jigawa State, Northwest) and Edgar Tam Nanakumo (Bayelsa State, South-south)
were elevated to the rank of AIG. Shockingly, no senior police officer from
Southeast zone was among those promoted. The promotion exercise also involved
elevation of eight (8) DCPs to CPs, seven (7) ACPs to DCPs and twenty (20) CSPs
to ACPs. In the December 19, 2013 promotions, made public by the IGP on 20th of
January, 2014, AIGs Michael E. Zuokumor (Bayelsa State, South-south) and
Jonathan Johnson ( Taraba State, Northeast) were made DIGs, while CPs Fana
Abdullahi Salihu (Kebbi State, Northwest), Musa Abdulsalam Daura (Katsina
State, Northwest) and Kakwe Christopher Katso (Taraba State, Northeast) were
elevated to the rank of AIG. Out of these promotions, no senior police officer
from Southeast was among. This is in spite of the fact that Southeast has two
serving CPs, who have remained in the rank of CP since 2006 and 2007
respectively.
In the last promotions
that took place on 21st of January, 2014, six (6) DCPs were
made Commissioners of Police. They are Aminchi Samaila Baraya (Taraba State,
Northeast), Hurdi D. Abubakar Mohammed, (Kebbi State, Northwest), Usman Alkali
Baba (Yobe State, Northeast), Tijani Baba (Yobe State, Northeast), Mohammed K.
Mohammed (Katsina State, Northwest) and Victor O.E. Onofiok (Akwa Ibom State,
South-south). In the above promotions, none of them came from Southeast zone.
This is despite the fact that the zone has twenty (20) serving DCPs including
three (3) that will retire this year (2014). Also, nine (9) ACPs were promoted
to DCPs in the exercise. They are Olukolu Shina Tairu (Lagos State, Southwest),
Omololu Shamsiden Bishi (Lagos State, Southwest), Isaac Akinmoyede Olutayo
(Lagos State, Southwest), Tijani Babatunde Olasupo (Kwara State, North-central)
and Okon Ene Etim (Cross River State, South-south).
Others are Aminu
Pai Saleh (FCT/North-central), Makama Usman Hamisu (Plateau State,
North-central), Aminu Koji Kwabe (Adamawa State, Northeast) and Chris Mbazor
(Ebonyi State, Southeast) who will retire on 26/11/2014, having been born on
03/09/56 and enlisted on 26/11/79. Eight (8) CSPs were elevated to the rank of
ACP and they are Alonge Adebowale (Lagos State, Southwest), Augustina Nwuka
Ogbodo (Enugu State, Southeast), Polycap Chilaka Dibia (Enugu State,
Southeast), Bello Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Kwara State, North-central), David
Dangiwa Dantata (Kaduna State, Northwest), Anthony Okon (Akwa Ibom State, South-south)
and Babangida Adam Zannah (Borno State, Northeast).
Further Authoritative
Findings: Our further
authoritative findings from high quarters of the Nigeria Police Force have
continued to show shocking lopsidedness and sectional promotions and postings
of senior officers in the Force. The lopsided and despicable policy appears
worst under the present IGP, Mr. Mohammed D. Abubakar, who became IGP on 25th January, 2012. According to an authoritative NPF document
seen by our field team of investigators led by Emeka Umeagbalasi; a
criminologist and security expert; in addition to an investigation carried out
on the last promotions’ exercise of 21st of January, 2014, there are one(1) serving Inspector General of Police (IGP),
seven(7) Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), twenty-one (21) serving Assistant
Inspectors General (AIGs) including one specialist, eighty-eight (88) serving
Commissioners of Police(CPs) including four specialists, one hundred &
seventy-two (172) Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) including fifteen
specialists, three hundred & ninety-eight (398) Assistant Commissioners of
Police (ACPs) including fifteen specialists and nine hundred and six (906) Chief Superintendents of Police
(CSPs) including thirty-five specialists. The list of “IGP-CSPs” under
reference was updated to 23rd day of January, 2014. According to the list
thoroughly investigated by our team, there are a total of one thousand, five
hundred & eighty-six (1,586) serving senior police officers in the Nigeria
Police Force occupying the ranks of IGP to CSPs as at 31st day of January, 2014. This is in addition
to last promotions under reference (21/01/2014) per PSC (Police Service
Commission) website.
Serving IGP & DIGs: Out of seven serving DIGs in the Force, the
Northwest geopolitical zone, which produces the present IGP, Mr. Mohammed D.
Abubakar, also produces two DIGs in the persons of Suleiman Dauda Fakai from
Kebbi State and Atiku Yusuf Kafur from Katsina State. The remaining five
geopolitical zones have one DIG each and they are Abdurahaman Akano from Osun
State (Southwest), Peter Yisa Gana from Niger State (North-central), Emmanuel
Kachi Udeoji from Abia State (Southeast), Michael E. Zuokumor from Bayelsa
State (South-south) and Jonathan Johnson from Taraba State (Northeast). The
birth, enlistment and retirement dates of the IGP and the seven DIGs and their
educational qualifications are as follows: 1. Mohammed D. Abubakar (IGP),
birth: 05/05/58, enlistment: 30/07/79, retirement: 30/07/2014, educational
qualification: Dip., Public Administration & Criminal Justice. He was
promoted IGP on 25/01/2012. 2. Suleiman Dauda Fakai (DIG), birth: 01/11/59,
enlistment: 01/01/84, retirement: 01/01/2019, educational qualification: B.Sc.,
PGD, Geography, Policy & Administration. He was promoted DIG on 22/02/2012.
3. Atiku Yusuf Kafur (DIG), birth: 07/07/57, enlistment: 08/12/82, retirement:
07/07/2017, educational qualification: B.A., Education/History. He was promoted
DIG on 22/02/2012.
Others are: 4. Peter
Yisa Gana (DIG), birth: 15/11/59, enlistment: 31/12/84, retirement: 15/11/2019,
educational qualification: B.Sc., M.Sc., Policing & Public Order. He was
promoted on 22/02/2012. 5. Emmanuel Kachi Udeoji (DIG), birth: 09/09/54,
enlistment: 15/07/80, retirement: 09/09/2014, educational qualification: B.Sc.,
LLB, Sociology & Law. He was promoted DIG on 22/02/2012. 6. Abdurahaman
Akano (DIG), birth: 22/06/54, enlistment: 31/12/84, retirement: 22/06/2014,
educational qualification: B.A., LLB, English & Law. He was promoted DIG on
22/01/2012. 7. Michael E. Zuokumor (DIG), birth: 14/04/56, enlistment:
01/08/80, retirement: 01/08/2015, educational qualification: B.A., LLB, M.Sc.,
Law &History. He was promoted DIG on 15/01/2014. 8. Jonathan Johnson (DIG),
birth: 23/09/55, enlistment: 03/07/79, retirement: 03/07/2014, education:
Teachers’ College (Grade 11). He was promoted DIG on 15/01/2014. A careful look
at the foregoing clearly shows that apart from damaging geopolitical
lopsidedness, there are also no women among the seven serving DIGs in the NPF.
The geopolitical representation of the seven DIGs is utterly lopsided as it is
totally wrong to allow the Northwest zone that produces the present IGP to also
produce two DIGs.
Sirs, please see part
two and three of this important letter for continuation and conclusion. It is
our hope that the letter in its completeness will be expeditiously looked into
and issues of extreme importance raised therein addressed frontally.
Yours Faithfully,
International Society
for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law-Intersociety
Emeka Umeagbalasi,
Chairman of the Board
+234(0)8033601078,
+234(0)8180103912
Comrade Justus Uche
Ijeoma, Head, Publicity Desk
+234(0)8037114869
CC:
1. The Inspector General of Police, Force
Headquarters, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria
2. Chairman, Police Service Commission, the
PSC Headquarters, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria
3. Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum
& Governor of Anambra State, Awka, Nigeria
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