Why I Didn’t Punish The Bribe-seeking Policemen Who Nearly Locked Me Up– Mohamme


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Assistant Inspector General of Police, The Great Prophet Abubakar, siezed the opportunity of a retreat the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, held with senior police officers at the Obudu Ranch Resort on Friday, last week, to relate to our correspondent a dramatic experience he had over a year ago. As the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, he was illegally arrested by a police corporal at a checkpoint and dragged to the police station where he was almost locked up.

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Abubakar Lagos State Police Commissioner

“I was arrested by some policemen in Lagos and was taken to a police station because I refused to give a bribe,” he recalled. “It was a useful exercise because I gained a lot from it.”

It all began after his usual early morning work out on that day. Abubakar got set for office and decided he would go in his private car and drive it by himself to enable him see how his officers and men were carrying out their duties in the nation’s commercial nerve centre. He was in mufti.

Midway between his home and office, he ran into a checkpoint in the Yaba area of the city. A police corporal flagged him down and began to cajole him with beggarly statements like, “Your boys are here; we are working for you; and what do you have for us?” The clean-shaven man behind the wheel pretended he did not know what the policeman was talking about. Angered by his diffidence, the corporal demanded for his vehicle particulars and his driver’s licence. To his disappointment, Abubakar produced every particular the policeman demanded.

Sensing that the motorist was going to be difficult, other policemen joined the corporal in interrogating the motorist, but all efforts to do him in proved abortive. At that point, they decided to drag Abubakar to the police station, and he followed them.

At the station, a seargeant on duty insulted him and called him names, but he kept his cool. Then the police sergeant charged him for dangerous driving and other imaginary offences that left Abubakar stupefied.

Just then, an assistant superintendent of police showed up and Abubakar heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that the superior officer would come to his rescue. But he was wrong. Rather than indict the errant sergeant, the ASP turned to Abubakar and started tongue-lashing him. “Where is the accused?” he bellowed. “Stupid educated man. Go and detain him and prepare his charge sheet.”

At this point, Abubakar’s patience ran out. He tapped the collar of the ASP’s shirt, and calmly told him that he (ASP) would lose his uniform that very day. That was when the ASP looked more closely and realised he had been talking to the Commissioner of Police. Without asking any question, the ASP escaped through the window, followed by sergeant. The message was not lost on the remaining policemen at the station who all voted with their feet, leaving the station unmanned.

Calmly, Abubakar picked his impounded car key from the table on which it was kept, and drove off.

A few minutes later, the news of the trauma Abubakar was made to go through by the policemen had got to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the station. He rushed back to the station and locked up the culprits. But when the news of the DPO’s action got to Abubakar, he ordered their release.

One would have expected Abubakar to order the arrest of the corrupt policemen who arrested him, and probably give them orderly room trial, but Abubakar said there was no need for that. He said, “After watching the boys fled, I just picked my key and went away. That was all. There was no need asking that they be arrested. Even when the DPO heard of it and asked that they be detained I said they should be released.”

Asked why he decided to drive himself without an escort, Abubakar said it was not the first time he would do that, adding that as a security officer who was always looking for information, he always needed to go out once in a while unaided in order to get desired information.

Abubakar said, “Many times, I prefer to drive myself. This, apart from giving me enough room to exercise, allows me to go to places where I can get the information I need about my men. If I go out in a convoy of cars, there is no way I will not be noticed. So, I prefer going out on my own, and and it paid off on that day.

“You may not know it, but let me tell you this: I also prefer to lead assaults on armed robbers. Several of such assaults have also paid off. There was a case at Coconut Bus Stop (Apapa) in which two of my officers were shot. I was there. We got the robbers but two of my officers were shot. There and then, we took them (officers) to the hospital, and I remained with them for six hours, holding their hands while the doctors were performing operations on them. The officers also held my hands, asking if they would not die. I kept assuring them that by God’s grace, they would live. They are alive today, performing their duties.”

Reiterating that he believed in leadership by example as a way of challenging his subordinates, Abubakar noted that if he had cultivated the habit of remaining at the background every time there was a robbery incident, he would have sent wrong signals to his subordinates. “That is why I always want to be at the centre of the heat. And this has always challenged my boys,” he said with a smile.

One thing he said gladdened his mind about the newly increased salary of policemen in the country was that it had reduced corruption in the force. This, he also believes, has motivated policemen to rededicate themselves to fighting crime in the country.

Describing his stay in Lagos State as eventful, Abubakar, who was assistant commissioner of police and, later, deputy commissioner of police in the state when Okiro was in charge as the commissioner of police, said he enjoyed the cooperation of the Governor of the state, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, whom he said placed much emphasis on security matters.

He said, “The support I got from the state governor was enormous. He placed so much emphasis on security matters. It may interest you to know that the governor said he would give us four helicopters. You know that the price of one helicopter is much. Yet he had promised us four, which we are awaiting for.”

Though he was wary of giving any advice to the incoming commissioner of police in the state, after much persuasion, he said the CP needed to be at alert all the time and should be agile for him to cope with the enormous work of policing the state. To buttress his point on agility, he said he was getting almost 5,000 letters, including petitions, on a daily basis, and he took his time to read most of them. This, he said, was to avoid being given wrong advice, which he said could mislead him on some very sensitive issues.

On the challenges of his new posting, he noted that while Lagos remained the commercial nerve centre of the country, Ogun State was a border state. This, he said, meant that he would need to work harder to make the two states safe.

He said, “You know that Lagos State is the commercial nerve centre of the country. Also, Ogun State is a border state. If care is not taken, about 25 vehicles could be snatched in one swoop in Lagos, and Ogun, which is the neighbouring state, could be used to ferry the cars outside the country.

“That means the two CPs and I have to double our efforts. I would have to put the CPs on their toes, as the IG would also put me on my toes. There are about 25,000 policemen in Lagos and about 9,000 in Ogun. We will harness their efforts to make sure they work optimally.”

i was miffed when the commissioner allowed those scoundrels to go scot free. thats sending another message to the populace. Does it mean if he wasnt the commissioner, he would have been sent to jail for being law abiding?? Thats gross callousness. so what becomes of someone without connection?? ordinary law abiding citizen without people that he can call to use their influence?? Can he think of what would have happened to him if he hadnt been the commissioner??

It is Just Unfair. Very Unfair.