Jonathan Under Pressure Over New Police IG

•Suleman Abba

•Suleman Abba

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

With the tenure of Mohammed Abubakar, the Inspector General of Police expected to officially come to an end today, the process of the announcement of his successor has been delayed following all kinds of intrigues, P.M.NEWS has gathered.

At press time, however, AIT was carrying on its news bar that Suleiman Abba has been appointed as the new IG without quoting any official sources.

•Suleman Abba
•Suleman Abba

Earlier reports indicated that Suleiman Abba, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7 has been chosen as a replacement for Abubakar. Reports indicated that Abba’s selection received the support of the Police Council made up of the 36 state governors and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro.

It was also learnt that Abba has been informed of the development and an official announcement to this effect was expected Thursday.

But in a sudden twist, P.M.NEWS gathered that President  Goodluck Jonathan has come under tremendous pressure since Abba’s appointment was reported in the media, especially by those who argued for a shift in the zone from which the head of the Police force will be appointed ahead of the 2015 elections.

It was gathered that pressure is being mounted on the President to emulate former President Obasanjo who appointed IGPs from the same zone with him during his tenure. The proponents of the idea are therefore canvassing for the appointment of  Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG Michael Zuokumor, or  AIG Force Intelligence Bureau, FIB, Solomon Arase who are both from the Southsouth part of the country.

Zuokumor hails from Ojobo community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State while Arase is a native of Edo State. Abba hails from Jigawa State.

DIG Zuokumor is at present in charge of the Department of Operations at the Force Headquarters in Abuja and there were fears that he could be retired alongside IGP Abubakar if Abba is appointed.

It is also argued that the appointment of the Police IGP should shift to the South since the last two occupants of the position are from the North

Sources also told P.M.NEWS Thursday that the names of AIG Dan’Azumi Job Doma, the Force Secretary from Niger State, AIG Bala Hassan from Kano State and  Mike Zuokumor featured prominently when the Chairman of Police Service Commission, former Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mike Okiro met with Jonathan last night to ratify who succeeds Abubakar among the list of those presented to Jonathan.

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 Doma is said to be the choice of former military dictator, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (retd), while Mariam, the late Gen Sani Abacha’s wife, is rooting for AIG of Zone 7, Suleiman Abba from Jigawa State whom the ougoing Inpector General of Police picked as his successor. But Okiro was said to have advised Jonathan to either pick Bala or Zuokumor.

 Meanwhile, the outgoing IGP Abubakar is said to have travelled out of  the country. He was not in office Wednesday, his last day at work, as he officially ceased to occupy that office from Thursday.

Our sources said the issue of ethnicity is playing out at the Police Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Garki, Abuja as Igbo, Yoruba and Southsouth officers are kicking against a Northern Muslim IG. The officers are also alleged to be unhappy about the lopsided deployment of senior police officers by the outgoing IGP.

Investigations have revealed that the Commissioners of Police (CPs) in charge of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states are all from the core north. That of Anambra State is from Borno State, the stronghold of the deadly Boko Haram sect.

In the same vein, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 9 with headquarters in Umuahia, AIG in charge of Zone 6 with headquarters in Calabar and AIG in charge of Zone 5 with headquarters in Benin City are also from the north.

Similarly, northern officers dominate Mobile Squadrons in the Police Force. 31 Squadron Commanders are northerners, while the remaining 27 Squadrons are southern officers, headed by officers from the Southsouth, Southeast and Southwest.

Aggrieved senior officers from the southern part of the country accused Abubakar of posting southerners to violence-prone areas, and deploying northerners to the south where there is peace. Igbo, Yoruba and South-south officers are said have pitched tent against the choice of Abba as the new IG.

Most of them are said to have more confidence in a southern officer, preferably the DIG in charge of ‘B’ Operations Mike Zuokumor from Delta State or AIG in charge of Intelligence, Solomon Arase from Edo State. Both of them are known to be hard working, intelligent, open minded and fearless.

Southsouth leaders are said to be making strong case for either  Zukumour or Arase. One of the leaders of Southsouth who pleaded for anonymity noted that “two IGs appointed by President Jonathan are from the north and have failed in areas of curtailing insurgency. During Obasanjo’s tenure, he appointed his kinsmen as IG. So the President should apply wisdom in choosing the next IG.”

One of the officers said if the IG insists on a northern officer to succeed him, it must be AIG Bala Hassan from Kano State because he said “Hassan appears to have an edge over others from the north, as a result of several qualities. He has six university degrees with three Masters and one in Law. Hassan is also cool headed, tough and experienced.”

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