IGP Ibrahim Idris: The Birth Of New Police Force - By  Dahiru Hassan Kera

Public officials are always in the eye of the storm of scrutiny. A monitoring eye is no doubt a veritable tool for exerting diligence and efficiency from true leaders; it keeps them on their toes, gives them a new sense of vigor to accomplish far beyond what the public is expecting of them and sets them on the part of history. Even though the public is sometimes like children, the more good you bring them, the more they demand for more. Still, serious leaders requite these attentions and refine them into the energy that fires them into consolidating their positive gains and providing a template for those coming behind to work with.

Most at times, nobody considers the good work of leaders worthy of commendation but the moment they fail even in the most forgivable of their duties, they are brought under fire and torn into shreds with vituperations and aspersion; the press, civil society groups and international agencies will come down hard on them with no let and no restraint at the slightest provocation but remain mute when they excel at their duties. Although, true leaders do not care for commendations, they are born for duty and they derive pleasure from working their angle of the governance machine to deliver succor to the populace, still, it will be gracefully energizing to commend them for diligence sometimes.

Against this background, the police under Ibrahim Idris haven shouldered so much criticism in the past justly or unjustly, deserve lots of commendation for its series of policing novelty that has continued to return back the hitherto damaged faith fabric to the Nigerian Police.

When Ibrahim Idris took over as the IG of police, he inherited an institution so low on morale, professionalism, probity, transparency, diligence and efficiency. To be fair, it will be foolhardy to pretend that the IG was unaware of the dark spots that are spread all over the Nigerian police seeing that he has been part of the institution all along, but he must be credited with the presence of mind to transform that perspicacity into action; action that has brought so much to the force in so short a time.

Not discountenancing the very many factors that make policing Nigeria an unnecessarily hard job which if taken into perspective makes the police chief even more worthy of commendation. For instance, the Nigerian police are grossly undermanned with unofficial figures suggesting a ratio of over 1000 Nigerians to a police officer as against the international standard of at most 20 people to an officer. And, the penchant of police officers to be high handed in the execution of their duties adding a dark cloud into the mix.

Without having to dwell on every little achievement of the Nigerian police boss since he was announced as the IG, it will be impossible not take notice of many crunch decisions of his that are repositioning the force for excellence. From his choice of lieutenants for important tasks, to his decisions to promote officers long overdue and to recognize for advancement, educational certificates secured on the Job by his officers; everything that IG of police Ibrahim Idris touched has turned to gold. Needless to say it has jump started the ebbing morale of the men and women of the Nigeria police.

ACP Abba Kyari and his SRS team only recently apprehended Nigeria’s all time, most notorious kidnap kingpin, Mr. Chidumeme Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans after many years unfettered freedom. Following that arrest, the IGP ordered special promotion for all 32 detectives of the SRS and TIU units to help boost their morale and encourage them to do more. With the morale sky high and buoyed by this special recognition, the crackdown on the dreadful kidnap and armed robbery syndicates operating between Abuja, Niger and Kaduna states have seen a kind of vigor not always associated with the Nigeria police in years past. Almost on a daily basis, suspects are caught and paraded sometimes in full military regalia and a full complement of the weapons they use in perpetuating their reign of terror.

Earlier, the Nigerian police in February of this year freed Professor Peter Breunig, a German archeologist kidnapped by criminals in southern Kaduna and his associate Johannes Buringer to leave a clear marker against kidnapping. Major General Alfred Nelson, the deputy High Commissioner of Sierra Leone was also wrestled off the clutches of these ransom criminals and Nigerians can’t but be optimistic that the IGP came to cleanse the land of criminal elements.

Also, Henry Chibueze, a notorious armed robbery don who terrorized the south eastern region of the country from his Imo state hideout only recently joined his criminal compatriots in the long list of IGP Idris Ibrahim’s long list of solved crimes

It is in the area of police public relations however that Nigerians must commend IGP Ibrahim Idris. Gone are the days of indiscriminate raids and unlawful detention. Only recently, a young lady was arrested and molested for simply using her phone to record a policing gaffe and within moments of finding out via a tweet to its twitter handle, the police PCR did not only order the immediate release of the girl with an apology to boot, but also a thorough investigation into the activity that landed the young lady into the bad books the unscrupulous officers.

IGP Ibrahim’s Nigerian police are utilizing modern communication channels to bring order to the police force and to help Nigerians get help quickly via twitter, Facebook and other social media channels and this is unprecedented.
You are sure to receive a response to any posted query on the police social media pages within minutes and you can be rest assured it will be helpful and full of hope

The IGP has continued to bring far reaching changes into the force in collaboration with the public and other security agencies. Already, the police chief has been bagging encomiums from well-meaning Nigerians just as he was recently elected the deputy chairman of African Police Chiefs.

– Kera a Communication Strategist, writes from Kaduna.

The man is trying,but the allegations against him are too much