The spate of killings and other forms of restiveness which has become a way of life in Nigeria may have led to the reason behind the removal of former Inspector General of Police(IGP), Mohammed Adamu, whose tenure expired and was renewed for yet another three months on February 4, 2021. It was not surprising at all in view of the carnages the country has experienced under his tenure as an IG. Unfortunately, the former IGP was in faraway Owerri, Imo State capital on official duty to assess the level of damage on the police structures after the attack on prisons and Police Headquarter by yet to be identified gunmen when the announcement for his removal was made public. However, he would be remembered as a man whose tenure as the police chief witnessed serious turbulence and most barbaric killings of both his own men and civilians alike. It would be on record too, that it was under his watch the most organized protest, aka #ENDSARS that swept across the country took place which up till today seriously affected the psyche and morale of the police, and currently left it on the lowest ebb, unfortunately.
The appointment of Usman Alkali Baba, who is also from the Northern part of the country did not come to Nigerians as a surprise, but the public had expected that Mr. President should have looked either West or East ward this time in the appointment of the new police Chief at least to see if that would help to solve the problems of ethno religious crisis that has bedeviled the whole country right from the inception of this administration, but that was not to be because, the President surrounds himself with people that keep feeding him with lies through their teeth that all is well in Nigeria. The frightening division today in the country which many have blamed squarely on the president based on the lopsided appointments now leaves a yawning question which is: whether the new IG, Alkali Baba would rise to the occasion to restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in the police force! Many have said that the idea of going after some people and cracking down on one section of the country and pampering others from another section is pervasive and would only plunge Nigeria of today into deeper problems if this half measure continues. Because the law is blind, same measure should be applied to punish offenders of the law, where this is not applied, it amounts to paying lip service that may not do the country any good.
The appointment of the new IGP this time from all indication is not a tea party and what is more! Nigerians want to see a clear departure from the old order on how best the country could be policed and order restored in the society. The recent development in the society may have presented the Nigerian policemen and women as the endangered species but that in every sense of responsibility is not the case but what rather is the issue is the ability of the federal government to read- in- between the lines to know exactly what every section of Nigeria wants especially at this time the will of the country appears to be tested by those who feel alienated from what should be theirs as citizens of Nigeria. As usual, President Muhammadu Buhari has given the new Acting IGP the marching orders to go after trouble makers in the land. We want to add here that this is no longer the time of talking tough and may be descending on innocent and hapless Nigerians but instead, the IGP should be concerned on the restoration of law and order given that many marching orders have been issued in the Boko-Haram prone areas without a corresponding result. We call on the new Inspector General of Police to be ingenious this time and not to follow the steps of his predecessors especially those whose performances were abysmally low and unfortunately left the society more tensed than they met it.