. AIGs, DIGs higher in rank than new police boss to be affected
Following Tuesday’s appointment of Mr Tunji Disu as the new Inspector General of Police by President Bola Tinubu, no fewer than 20 senior officers who are Disu’s seniors will quit service in the next few days.
This development is in line with established tradition in the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
According to a source within the Police Service Commission, with the new development, between 15 and 20 senior officers who are Disu’s seniors will have to throw the towel by resigning immediately.
He said, “Going by recent practice, Disu’s seniors might have to submit their resignation letters. We might have those who may wish to stay behind and salute their juniors. The fact is that among the DIGs, we have people whose colleagues are still ACPs. Somebody like DIG Frank Mba, though those he joined the force with as cadets are still DCPs and the likes.
“Apart from the nine DIGs, the AIGs who are senior to him are not many. Between 15 and 20 may resign.”
However, insiders said while resignation of senior officers is entrenched in police culture, just like in the military, instances abound where affected officers decided to remain in service despite the appointment of their juniors.
The source stated, “Resignation of senior officers is not as entrenched in the police culture like in the military. It has happened in the past that some seniors did not resign, and it has also happened that they resigned.
“The DIGs who are senior to the acting IG head key departments such as Finance and Administration, DIG Yahaya Abubakar; Operations, Bzigu Kwazhi; Logistics and Supply, Adebola Hamzat; Force Criminal Investigation Department, Sadiq Abubakar; Training and Development, Frank Mba; Research and Planning, Basil Idegwu; Information and Communication Technology, and the Force Intelligence Bureau, Mohammed Gumel.”
Naturally, some Commissioners of Police and other officers would be promoted in the event of the retirement of the affected DIGs and AIGs.
Some of them, it was gathered, will be promoted to fill up available positions, while others will be elevated to fill vacant ranks.
“Should those DIG and AIGs who are senior to resign, there would be space for AIGs who are his juniors and CPs to move up. Also, DCPs and others would also benefit from that process, “ the source said.
Meanwhile, retired police officers have expressed support for the new IGP, as they advocate adherence to the tradition in the Force.
Retired AIG Ali Amodu said the development was consistent with police tradition, stressing that the DIGs are expected to resign alongside Egbetokun.
Amodu said, “He (Disu) is a junior to the DIGs. By Force tradition, they are not supposed to be there. The DIGs cannot be there. Don’t you see what is happening in the military? Don’t you see the military tradition? If Disu is confirmed, the DIGs are supposed to go.
“It’s just the AIGs who would remain although this is at the discretion of the President and the Police Service Commission. They are of the same rank, even if there are some of them that are senior to him as AIG. But that is even permissible, but the DIGs will have to go, That’s the way I see it.”
Amodu said this is necessary to maintain discipline within the Force.
“It has been like that because of the norms of discipline in the force,” he said.
On the security challenges confronting the country, he said, “If he’s to come in, we pray for him. There are a lot of challenges. There are a lot of challenges in the area of security.”
Speaking on ways to tackle the challenge, he reiterated his long-standing support for decentralisation of the police, saying, “Let the force be decentralised. The federal police and others, this thing can be there. And the issue of law enforcement, basically, what is happening all over the world now, including Britain, is a decentralised force. It’s better managed if it is decentralised.”
Wilson Inalegwu, another retired AIG, described the change in leadership as a normal development aimed at injecting fresh ideas into the system.
“The security situation that is besetting the country is very serious, and I think the government should look at the situation at hand and say, look, let us eject, let us add impetus to the effort we are making, and then in that way, you can bring fresh ideas,” he said.
He noted that Egbetokun has done his best. “Egbetokun has completed his service, and he has done the best he can do. So, it’s good that the president has got a fresh hand, and I think it’s not a bad thing because it happens all the time.”
Drawing an analogy with sports, he said, “Even the football match that we watch, there are times the coach will look at the way the team is going and decide, look, let me bring fresh legs. So, I think that is what has happened.”
On the fate of senior officers, Inalegwu said, “I think most of them will take their leave because that has been the practice, because of the nature of the job. There is a level of regimentation, even though it’s a civilian police force.”
He added that it would be “healthier for the work environment that they take their leave and then allow the new IG to constitute his management team.”
Similarly, ex-DIG Adedayo Adeoye said, “Normally, the DIGs are supposed to leave. Even any AIG that is senior to him, unless the new IG wants to retain any of them. The discretion is now with him, the new IG.”
He congratulated Disu, saying, “I congratulate the new IG and I wish him the best of luck because we have a lot of challenges in the country now, security-wise.”
For his part, retired AIG Lawrence Alobi said discipline and administrative order demanded a change in the top hierarchy.
“That would depend on the new IG and also for the purpose of discipline, you know, it’s not very good for them to stay. They should also leave with honour and so that the IG now brings new officers to come on board as management team with him,” he said.
He stressed that the DIGs are supposed to constitute the management team of the force.
“He cannot be sitting with those who were senior to him as his main team. No, that would not be too good in terms of administration, in terms of discipline,” he pointed out.
Alobi expressed confidence in the acting IG, describing him as “a seasoned police officer who has gone through the ranks and a man of capacity, a man of robust intellectual capacity and operational capacity”
“And I’m sure he will not let Mr. President down. He will not let the country down,” he said.
