• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Finally, Buhari retires Adamu, appoints Baba as acting IGP

We don’t have Abba Kyari’s extradition request yet- IGP

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday appointed Usman Alkali Baba as acting Inspector General of Police with immediate effect.

Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Police Affairs, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“After a thorough check of a shortlist of suitably qualified police officers from the rank of DIGs and AIGs, who are eligible police officers, eligible for appointment as IGP, in line with Section 7, subsection 2 of the Nigeria Police Act (2020), and having regards to seniority, professionalism, record of service and competence, Mr President has approved the appointment of an acting IGP, in the person of Usman Alkali Baba, PSE, FDC, with immediate effect,” Dingyadi said.

“These changes are in line with the determination of Mr President to rejig the security architecture of the country to ensure that the security challenges bedevilling the nation are brought to an end,” he said.

He explained that the tenure of the former IGP Mohammed Adamu, which ended on February 1, 2021, was extended by President Buhari to enable a detailed process of appointing a new IGP in line with section 15 (A) of the 1999 Constitution.

Buhari had on February 4 extended Mohammed Adamu’s tenure as the IGP for three months. Adamu has spent two months and three days since the extension.

Adamu, who was appointed in 2019, had clocked the mandatory 35 years in service on February 1 and was expected to have been replaced by the president. His tenure extension had elicited widespread criticism and a lawsuit by Maxwell Opara, a legal practitioner.

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“Mr President has therefore charged the new appointee to rise to the challenge to ensure policing reform policy of this administration is fully prioritised and implemented to enable the police perform most effectively for the peace and security of lives and property of all Nigerians,” Dingyadi said.

He said President Buhari extended his appreciation to the outgoing IGP “for his professionalism and dedication to duty during the period of his tenure while wishing him all the best in his future endeavours”.

The outgoing police chief was replaced ahead of the expiration of the three months of his extended service.

This is coming amid increasing spate of insecurity across the country. For instance, several police officers have been reportedly killed in the last few months, and just a few days ago, unknown gunmen attacked the Imo State police headquarters in Owerri, burnt down the Owerri Correctional Centre and freed about 2,000 inmates.

In an official response to the incident on Monday, Adamu blamed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the mayhem, which IPOB promptly denied.

BusinessDay gathered that the former IGP was in Owerri to assess the damage done to police facilities in the state when his successor was announced in Abuja.

Who is Alkali Baba?

Until his appointment as acting IGP, Baba was the deputy inspector-general of police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Born on March 1, 1963 in Geidam, Yobe State, Baba enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force on March 15, 1988.

He holds a Teacher’s Grade II Certificate (TC II) from Teachers College, Potiskum, Yobe; Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Bayero University, Kano, and Masters in Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

A fellow of the National Defence College, Baba is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, having attended several professional courses/workshops.

Amongst several strategic positions held in the past, the new acting IGP served as Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone-5 Benin, Zone-4 Makurdi, Zone-7 Abuja, Commissioner of Police FCT and Delta Commands, amongst