Nigeria has had 17 Inspectors-General of Police before the current one since 1964 when the first homegrown IGP took over from the British colonial masters. DOMINIK UMOSEN in this report, catalogue their profiles.


Louis Edet (1964-1966)
The first indigenous IGP, Louis Edet, was born in Calabar in 1914. That was the year the British colonial masters amalgamated the southern and northern protectorate into what is today known as Nigeria. Apart from being born on such a significant date, Edet made history as the man that pioneered the Police Force through the thorny path of the young republic. He retired in 1966.


Kam Salem (1966-1975 )
Kam Salem, who took over the leadership of the police from Edet in 1966, also stirred the ship of the Force through a difficult phase in the annals of the nation. His reign snowballed into the bitter civil war that almost tore the country into shreds between 1967 and 1970.


Muhammed Dikko Yusuf (1975- 1979)
Muhammed Dikko Yusuf, better known as M.D Yusuf, held the post of IGP during the period of national reconstruction. His tenure straddled two military regimes; from 1975-1979 during the military eras of Generals Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo. He had a long stride in public service. After retirement, he became the chairman of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) in 1994. He was once the chairman of the apex northern socio-political group, Arewa Consultative Forum also in 2000, a position he held until his foray into the murky waters of Nigerian politics where he vied for the president seat in 2003.


Adamu Suleiman (1979-1981)
Not much is known about Alhaji Adamu Suleiman who was IGP during the second republic. This fact neither facilitates security scrutiny nor enhances dispassionate analysis of his contributions to national development.


Sunday Adewusi (1981-1983)
The Ogbomoso-born Sunday Adewusi called the shot at the helm of the nation’s Police Force from 1981-1983. This was the era of the infamous “twothirds of 19 states” theory of Richard Akinjide’s political arithmetic. He was perceived as having run a force that succumbed to the whims and caprices of the then ruling party.


Etim Inyang (1985-198[/b]6)
The street named after him in Victoria Island, Lagos, remains the most enduring epitaph for the Akwa Ibomborn Etim Nyang, who held sway as police chief during the days of Nigeria’s self-styled military “President” cum “Maradona”. During his tenure, the crime wave billowed. In fact, high profile armed robbery incidents were not only the order of the day, but a constant taunt. It was the era of the dreaded Benin-based armed robbery gang led by Lawrence Anini, who glamourised the notorious trade, terrorising the police and other citizen on Benin/Asaba Road axis of the nation.


[b]Muhammadu Gambo-Jimeta (1986- 1990)
Apart from the arrest of Anini and his gang, which Inyang set-up before he was relieved of his appointment, many believe that Muhammadu Gambo Jimeta spent more time stoking ethnic controversies than hammering a coherent vision for the Force. Gambo had though, distinguished himself as Police Commissioner in Lagos State by bringing down the rate of robbery in the Centre of Excellence before his appointment as IGP.


Aliyu Attah (1990-1993)
Aliyu Attah took over from Gambo in 1990. Not much is attributed to his tenure because of the euphoria of his predecessor’s modest achievement of arresting Anini and gang.


Ibrahim Coomassie (1993-1999)

Ibrahim Coomassie, who took over from Attah in 1993, was educated at the Detective Training College, Wakefield, United Kingdom and in Washington DC, USA. His era was punctuated by alleged state-sponsored detentions and murders, including that of Chief Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola and then president-elect, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, who was said to have been arrested by the police without a warrant.


Musiliu Smith (1999-2002)

Musiliu Smith, who joined the Force in 1972 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Enugu Division, was born on April 17, 1946. Smith, who earned a Masters degree in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan in 1997, rose to become an Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police in charge of zonal headquarters, Kano. He was co-opted into Gen. (rtd) Abdulsalami Abubakar’s Provisional Ruling Council in 1998. He is from Lagos State and his tenure made history as the one that recorded the first revolt by the rank and file of the force. He was, thereafter, forced to proceed on compulsory retirement.


Mustafa Adebayo Balogun (2002- 2005)

Mustafa Adebayo Balogun, popularly called Tafa Balogun, succeeded Smith on March 6, 2002 as the 11th IGP with a mandate to instill discipline within the rank and file of the Force. Born on August 8, 1947 in Ila- Orogun, Osun State, Balogun got enlisted in the force in May 1973. He was variously commissioner of police in Edo, Delta, Rivers and Abia states and also headed the Zone 1, Kano as AIG.
He presided over the April 2003 general elections, which were perceived to be marred by electoral fraud and police abuses. Incidents of press gagging and brutality against journalists were also rife under him. It was to his credit though that the police unravelled the dreaded Okija shrine in Anambra State where politicians routinely re-fuel allegiance to godfathers at the expense of the public. Balogun basked in the reputation of being the first Mobile Cop to head the Force as well as the first to be arrested, arraigned, and incarcerated over large-scale corruption charges ranging from theft to illegal acquisition of confiscated properties seized from politicians by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This led to his forced resignation in January 2005.


Sunday Ehindero (2005-2007)

Sunday Ehindero, from Ondo State, was saddled with the herculean task of laundering the battered image of the Force following Balogun’s disgrace. He graduated in Law from the University of Ibadan. In Feb 2006, Ehindero sponsored a bill in the National Assembly for the removal of gender bias that was prevalent then in the force and accused Balogun of recruiting “dirty cops” into the Force. He was said to have recommended the unpopular promotion of former EFCC chair, Nuhu Ribadu, from commissioner of police to AIG. Ehindero retired from the Force in 2007, but faced several probes thereafter regarding a N21 million fraud, diversion of N2.5 billion of police cooperative money, and another N300 million police fund.


Mike Mbama Okiro (2007-2009)

The Rivers State-born police chief, who many believed hailed from Egbema in Imo State, took over from Ehindero in 2009. He was appointed by late President Umaru Yar’Adua on May 29, 2007, in the first civilian to civilian transition. He enlisted in the Force on August 1, 1977 as an ASP. He enjoyed a double promotion from Commissioner of Police to Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police. Shortly after being appointed, Okiro reinstated several officers who were forced into early retirement and headed the inter-agency panel to investigate the $190million Halliburton Scam, indicting KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, of bribing Nigerian government officials to curry construction contracts from the NLNG. After his retirement in July 2009 at the age 60 years, Okiro got a rare commendation from President Yar’Adua on his achievements while in office. He is currently the head of Police Service Commission.
Ogbonnaya Okechukwu Onovo
Ogbonnaya Okechukwu Onovo is from Enugu State. He succeeded Okiro in July 2007 as the first Igbo to head the Force. He had felt the exalted position in acting capacity before Okiro’s appointment though. Between 1998 and 2000, he presided over the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as chairman and was promoted to DIG on March 14, 2002 having served three IGs, Balogun, Ehindero and Okiro in that role. Onovo’s tenure was characterised by a prevalence of kidnappings for ransoms. His perceived inability to checkmate kidnappings and killings reportedly led to his inglorious exit from the force, even before attaining the mandatory retirement age.


Hafiz Ringim

Hafiz Ringim enlisted as a cadet Inspector on March 1, 1977. He rose through the ranks to become the IGP when he succeeded Onovo on September 10, 2010. His tenure witnessed, perhaps, the most daring security affront with the bombing of a section of the Force Headquarters by the Boko Haram Islamic fundamentalists.
Many other bombings were rampant throughout his tenure. The most dastardly ones being the 2011 Christmas Day bombing at the St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, near Abuja, which claimed over 40 lives and that of Kano that claimed no less than 185 lives. He retired on January 25, 2012.


Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar

Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar mounted the saddle in acting capacity on January 25, 2012, following Ringim’s retirement. Before then, he was AIG in charge of Zone 12, Bauchi, which is the stronghold of the Boko Haram sect. He once was a commissioner of police in Lagos. He identified corruption, inadequate training and absence of tactics and equipment, among others as the bane of the Force but did little to solve the problems. His most transparent achievement was the introduction of a new “camouflage” uniform similar to that used by the military, for the police. However, Abubakar would be remembered for his cancellation of police road blocks allegedly used to make illegal extortions and other abuses across the country.


Suleiman Abba, 2014-15
Just as unheralded as he came, Suleiman Abba, who was the 17th IGP, was fired by President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, April 21. Before his appointment, Abba was the AIG in charge of Zone 7, comprising Abuja and environs. Like Ringim, he hailed from Jigawa State and was promoted above his seniors as AIG.


Solomon Arase
Solomon Arase, took over from Abba as the 18th indigenous police boss on Tuesday, April 21 on acting capacity. Before his latest appointment, Arase was head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department. He has Bachelors and Masters Degrees in law and political science and strategic studies, according to African Spotlight. He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College. Arase, unlike his immediate predecessor, was appointed from the rank of DIG and hails from Edo State.


http://news.najiriya.com/2015/04/25/nigerias-police-chiefs-from-edet-to-arase/


www.nairaland.com/2386478/nigerias-police-chiefs-edet-arase

Nice one

I'm FTC!
Niger Delta for sure.
Niger Delta Avengers, Red Scorpions & others,
abeg the land & oil na we own.
Make we no take we hand destroy we own environment.
We Mama, Papa, Brother & Sister dem, dem dey the land.

PLS STOP THE BOMBINGS!!!

Arase was the best IGP. He was he reigned as IGP for just 1 year and 2months but he made serious impact which I believe no other IGP had ever done.
This man made the welfare of the Police Officers a very high priority especially the rank and file. He notably said in several occasion that they are the people that actually do the bulk of Police work. He massively motivated them with massive promotions and special promotions. His aim being that a motivated officer is an efficient officer.

He constructed and commissioned an average of 250 houses in 7 locations each throughout the entire federation for the junior officers. Making a total of about 1,400 semi detached bungalows.
I witnessed the commissioning of the ones in Umuahia, Enugu and Benin. The estate in Benin was named after the late Oba of Benin,. the one of Umuahia was named after Mike Okiro and Enugu State was named Ogbonnaya Onovo.

He constructed 3 nos three blocks of 12 flats each (36 flats) just opposite Force Headquarters for Commissioners of Police working at the Force Headquarters to help alleviate housing challenges especially for newly posted ones in Abuja.

He built and Commissioned new police stations/posts, Police Cooperatives Shopping Mall in Garki, Police Hospital in Benin, ultra modern police Conference Centre in Benin.
Their are other ongoing projects like the construction of shopping mall in Enugu, construction of Police Cooperatives ultra modern hotel in Ikeja Lagos. (very big project) I just pray the new IGP would continue the project

All these in just one year. I believe the man could have done more if hadn't reached his retirement age.

mostly Northerners

God bless Arase. The only IG that was not disgraced out of office. GEJ was right with his appointment

Ok






Long one tho

Phew...Long read



Y'all shouldn't forget to vote Ivyy today. All you need to do is log on to the voting thread

www.nairaland.com/3180901/miss-nairaland-contest-2016-semi-final#46802905

and type


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"I vote Ivvy cc:NLJega"

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so Na only two south Eastern done b IG of police ....

I swear I love this country diehhh

I believe there was one Sunday Onovo from Enugu State who was IG too.
Or

Is the evil mischief makers trying to rewrite history before our eyes?
What can they not do.

**
Edited.
His name has been hastily added without Paragraph like others.

pulsa:
mostly Northerners

true

so na only once ipod don occupy dat sit nawaoooo

proud of Solomon Arase ......Proud of Edo state......Proudly Edo Boy........But Edo people too like Abroad.

searchiing4love:
God bless Arase. The only IG that was not disgraced out of office. GEJ was right with his appointment

who appointed ringim and Suleiman

pulsa:
mostly Northerners

That's why we are still running in circles since independence.
What can bunch of uneducated illiterates achieve?

May Allah be with them all, and support the present IG to achieved its new assignment to be a Successor in life.

tafa balogun caught common criminals, formed crime fighter those days on TV i could remember. during his reign armed robbers suffered.

NO Igbo from beginning till end,Who is fooling Who?One Nigeria have Expired!!!!!!!!!!!! Mike Okairo is 4rm River State.they cannot fool us again !!!!!!!! Biafra or Never !!!!!!!!!

Incomplete list... Where is ogbonna onovo?

Wow!!

Not a Single Igbo Man on that list.


Mike Okiro is Rivers so he does not count.


This is some straight up Bullshit.

Edit: Just found out that Onovo is missing from the List. But you mean that since 1964 to 2016, only one Igbo man don be Inspector General Of Police?

[quote author=smartmoses post=46806792][/quote
what about ogbonnaya onovo?

And he was a die hard robber' what an irony

Arase Tuale

More comprehensive list

Onovo wuz mentioned in d list..try nd check it vry wel

smartmoses:
NO Igbo from beginning till end,Who is fooling Who?One Nigeria have Expired!!!!!!!!!!!! Mike Okairo is 4rm River State.they cannot fool us again !!!!!!!! Biafra or Never !!!!!!!!!

whose fault that ipob prefer drugs to policing ?

SamMilla1:


That's why we are still running in circles since independence.
What can bunch of uneducated illiterates achieve?

Ode you can't do without the north, they will keep on ruling until enternity, we are the masters here, north are born to rule is in our blood.

You can save your energy by doing something tangible, or keep on nagging in social media like a mad dog, I guess fayose is your role model.