Lopsided Posting Of Senior Officers In Cross River State Police Headquarters, AIG Mbu Speaks
Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu has condemned what he described as ‘ extremely lopsided postings’ of senior officers to the Police Headquarters Calabar, Cross River State.
In an interview with The Nigerian Voice, the outspoken officer called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Akali Baba Usman, psc(+), NPM, fdc, CFR to urgently address the embarrassing disparity of postings at the Command’s headquarters.
He stated that the postings are a total departure from the principles, traditions and norms of the Force and believes that the IGP is not aware of such anomalies.
Excerpts from the interview:
The Nigerian Voice: What’s your observation , concerns and position on the postings of senior Police Officers at the Command headquarters in Calabar?
AIG Mbu: I am calling on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Akali Baba Usman, psc(+), NPM, fdc, CFR to call for the nominal roll of the Command and direct the Force Secretary to address the situation.
Presently, the postings stand as follows –
Commissioner of Police – Sule Balarabe – Kano State,
DCP Administration – Heyman Mohammed – Borno State,
DCP Operations - Francis Alonyenu – Benue State,
DC Criminal Investigation Department – Bangs Kopshella – Plateau State
ACP Operations – Ahmed Ibrahim – Kebbi State.
The Inspector-General of Police may not have taken notice of these strange postings at the Command Headquarters because he has a lot to contend with.
I am aware of the relationship that exists between the Cross River State Governor and the head of the Force Secretary's Office.
It may interest you to note, that when I was posted as the Commissioner of Police FCT; my DCP Admin. Ntomchukwu Valentine (Anambra), who retired as DIG was moved to Kaduna State Police Command as DCP Admin. while the then DCP Admin, Kaduna Murtala Mani (Katsina) was moved to DCP Admin FCT.
My DCP Operations, Bala Ciroma (Yobe). My DCP CID was Peace Abdalla Ibekwe (Anambra), she retired as a DIG with Dan Daura as her deputy. He is now a DIG.
Similarly when I was in Oyo State Police Command as CP; my DCP Admin - late Adoda (Benue), DCP Operations – Kimo (Borno), DCP CID Janet Agbede (Ondo)and Later Dasuki Galadanchi (Kano).
Also, when I was the Commissioner of Police Rivers State; it was the same as when I was CP Police Mobil Force (PMF), as the Force Education Officer.
There seems to be something happening in Cross River State that the Inspector-General of Police is not aware of, therefore, I wish to intimate the IGP most importantly that the DCP Operations Francis Alonyenu is professionally and ethically incompetent to serve in that capacity in Cross River and elsewhere. He was there before Alhassan Aminu and should be moved out of the Command.
Cross River State was created in 1967 and in recent times, newly promoted CPs are being sent to the State when older hands with enough managerial skills are in Formations or the Force Headquarters. Alhassan Aminu came here as a newly promoted CP and had no respect for his superiors . He treated Rtd CP Gabriel Achong shabbily . An Officer who retired when he was an ACP. Let us not dance naked in the public as we have done so enough and added no colour to the Force but shame.
The Nigerian Voice: Why have you chosen to communicate your concerns to the IGP and other regulatory Institutions through the media?
AIG Mbu: I have chosen this path because Ginetta Sagan said: “Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor”. Things have taken a different dimension from the past because people may be wondering why I have not deployed an internal mechanism in the police to address this critical issue. It has been very challenging accessing the Inspector General. You know the enormorsity of his office hence the option of this channel.
Let me also use this medium to inform the IGP to direct the AIG, Zone 6 Calabar to withdraw the ZMU Hilux pickup vehicle in Ikom, notoriously known for brazen daytime extortion while the team goes to sleep at night. Puff Adar in Ikom has no job other than to serve as a hire to accompany individuals and government officials of Cross River State into Cocoa farms and stores, indiscriminately arresting people.
We need to dance naked sometimes as these senior officers have no respect for those who left the service while they were ACPs and CSPs. Crime and criminality in Ikom is alarming and underreported. Killings, kidnappings, gun running, robberies and other social vices are on the rise but underreported.
I was AIG Zone 7 Abuja ( FCT, Niger and Kaduna) and also AIG Zone 2 Lagos ( Lagos and Ogun States). Ikom has just one highway from Calabar to Ikom and to Ogoja, then Abakaliki. Ikom Area Command: Ikom, Boki and Etung are overdue for Force re-organization.
The Nigerian Voice: Sir, you sounded antagonistic towards some of the senior officers you mentioned. Do you perhaps have personal issues with them?
AIG Mbu: No. The NPF is supposed to be a family. From Primary school to University, NYSC and Cadet Course I have no other jurisdiction. I love the Force and where you see the indiscipline even among those who were far far junior to you it pains. No love for the Service but percuniaries. As a DSP in 1989 I could not afford even #20 then at weekend. Even the AIG of Zone 6 was very rude in my short conversation with him and I cut off. I don't go to them for anything.