By Chizoba Ogbeche
Abuja
There is palpable tension among the management team, officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over who takes over from the out-going Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase.
Arase, who served as the 18th indigenous IGP, is set to retire tomorrow, Tuesday, June 21, 2016, when he clocks the mandatory retirement age of 60, giving rise to speculations and permutations over who would take over the job.
Officers and men were found discussing in small groups over their fears and expectations with the change in leadership when our correspondent visited the Force Headquarters at the weekend.
Some of the officers who spoke with Blueprint were reluctant to say who the next IGP could be, arguing that President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice would most likely go against all speculations and permutations.
A senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that lobbying and campaigns have intensified in different quarters, within and outside the Force, to influence the choice of the next IGP.
He, however, said it was unclear where the pendulum would swing; pointing out that what is certain was that president would settle for a competent, as an upright, disciplined and firm officer.
The officer was also uncertain if the tradition of handing over to the second in command were to be adhered to, even as he said that he had it on authority that the seven Deputy Inspectors- General of Police (DIGs), who constitute the Police Management Team (PMT), which has the IGP as head had already cleared out their desks in preparation of their exit alongside their boss.
If the tradition were to be followed, the DIG in charge of Administration and Finance, Dan’Azumi Doma, who joined the NPF in 1984 and would be due for retirement in the next three years on completion of 35 years of service, would have automatically taken over the mantle of leadership.
Indications have also emerged that Doma’s name is not on a list of five AIGs forwarded to the president by the Police Service Commission (PSC). Those forwarded include Bala A. Hassan, Olufemi Adenaike, Umaru Abubakar Manko and Bala Magaji Nasarawa, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris.
However, analysis in the security quarters favoured DIG Chintua in charge of ICT against the background of the geo-political considerations in a bid to assuage the South-east zone over alleged discrimination in appointments by the present administration.
While the speculations continue, the IGP, who is retiring a little over a year after his appointment, had lined up a series of projects for commissioning and unveiling today in Abuja.
