During the week, the Executive Director of Project Alert on Violence against Women, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, posted on Facebook a pathetic photograph of the premises of Police Training School, Zaria Road, Jos.
The photograph, which I believe went viral on social media, is not only an eye sore, but puts to question the credibility and leadership quality, capacity, and good intentions of those who superintend over the affairs of the police in this country vis-a-vis the protection of lives and property.
A closer look at the school made me pay more attention to the ongoing tirade between the police authorities and a senator who has been singing like a parrot what we already know about the Nigeria police.
Before I return to the kernel of this intervention, let me quote Chukwuma from her Facebook wall.
She wrote: “Now can someone tell me what good can come out of this place? Anyone trained here already is bitter with society. Though I learnt no course has taken place here in three years.
“If we want a police that will respect the rights of every Nigerian citizen, respond promptly and in a professional non corrupt manner to members of the public, we need to advocate for a well-funded, well-equipped, well-trained, well-motivated, well-remunerated, and well-structured police.
“Have we ever wondered why our officers, when posted outside the country – ECOWAS, AU, UN etc – perform meritoriously?
“It’s no magic. It’s just that they are posted to a well-organised, well-run, well-equipped, well-motivated environment, which brings out the best in them.
“The Nigeria police have very brilliant officers who have a passion to serve, but the system kills that passion.
“Under the Justice For All (J4A) project of the U.K. Department for International Development, DFID, a lot was achieved which needs to be sustained, replicated and built upon.
“This is a call to the federal government to save our police.”
Virtually all the Police Training Schools in Nigeria are in the same state of dilapidation, because both the federal government and the police leadership have not been telling themselves the truth about what effective policing entails.
As a reporter on the police/crime beat years back, one could mistake the “popular” Police College, Ikeja, Lagos for an abandoned war museum with all manner of relics except you stumbled on a lecture taking place in one of the classrooms or student police officers taking a nap in their hostels.
That was the situation until the former administration of Goodluck Jonathan intervened and the college was renovated. To say that the renovation boosted the confidence of the students is to say the least.
That is why the war of words between the Police High Command and Senator Isah Misau (APC, Bauchi Central) must be of interest to anyone who wishes our police well.
But unfortunately, it appears everyone is quick to play to the gallery and by so doing, the message and substance of the allegation from Misau, who has a police background, is lost.
Last week, Misau accused the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, of fraudulent activities and nepotism in office.
Misau, who said he retired from the police in 2010, told a news conference in Abuja that under Idris between N10 billion and N15 billion is paid for postings either as state police commissioners or police mobile force (PMF) commanders, popularly called MOPOL commanders.
He alleged that Idris pockets about N10 billion monthly from the deployment of more than 50,000 policemen to oil companies, banks, and private individuals who make regular payments to the police authorities.
He said the money runs into N120 billion yearly and is not reflected in the police budget or their internally generated revenue.
Misau added: “The incumbent IGP, based on available records, a series of petitions and reports from insiders, has no capacity to run the police.
“Just like the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), retired IGP Mike Okiro, who also lacks similar capacity going by the N300 million scam and others hanging on his neck since 2011 during the presidential primary election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) where he served as the head of the security committee.
“On nepotism, the IGP is scoring high marks, by making almost half of the MOPOL commanders in the country, people of his Nupe extraction and on favouritism, appointing CP Moses Jitoboh, an officer who had been out of field of operational service, to that of political service for close to 20 years, as Adamawa State Police commissioner.”
Misau’s revelations did not go down well with the Police High Command hence the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, took him on, saying Misau retired in a manner unbecoming of a police officer.
The tantrum, which climaxed with their appearance on Channels Television Politics Today aired on Sunday, August 27, has continued ever since.
Moshood accused Misau of deserting the police and forging his own retirement letter.
He said Misau has been found out to still exist on the officers’ staff list as AP. No 57300 DSP Mohammed Isa Hamman who is still on posting to Niger State Police Command on September 24, 2010.
He added: “Misau dubiously absconded and deserted the Nigeria Police Force on 24th September, 2010 when he was redeployed to Niger State Command and he refused to report.
“The retirement letter presented to the journalists by … Hamman is suspiciously forged and dubiously obtained.
“The letter was dated 5th March, 2014, a period of more than four years after AP No 57300 DSP Mohammed Isa Hamman (Senator Isah Hamman Misau) deserted the Force is now being investigated by the Force.
“… Hamman was being wanted as a deserter.”
Moshood said it was criminal for Misau to contest election as a police officer in service, insisting it is another fraud the police are investigating against Misau since he forged retirement letter dated March 5, 2014 four years after.
“He also perpetrated an act of impersonation by acknowledging the receipt of the suspected forged retirement letter as a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP Hamman Isah) instead of his actual rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
“… Hamman got the suspected forged retirement letter in 2014 but he contested the Bauchi Central Senatorial Election in 2011 general election under Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at that time he was a deputy superintendent of police and a deserter of the Force.
“This is a clear element and criminal liability of fraud and impersonation, because under the law, you cannot be a police officer and still stand for election.
“Furthermore, the evidences so far gathered revealed that the suspected forged retirement letter dated 5th March, 2014, which is currently a subject of investigation, was approved within six working days by the Police Service Commission.
“This is very abnormal as the procedure for processing retirement must have been altered fraudulently.
“The suspicion of the police in this is that the suspected forged letter was obtained to perpetuate deceit in furtherance of … Hamman’s fraudulent intentions and this is another reason why the suspected forged letter of retirement being brandished by … Hamman is being investigated.”
On allegations against Adamawa State Police Commissioner, Moses Jitoboh, Moshood said: “Jitoboh was promoted Commissioner of Police before the current Police Management Team and he is not a Nupe officer but was found to be capable and efficient which was why he was posted as Commissioner of Police, Adamawa State Command.”
He promised that the police will “seek the prompt consideration of the Senate Ethics and Privileges Committee to prevail on … Hamman to return to the Nigeria Police to face the Force Disciplinary Committee for various acts of serious misconduct, unprofessional wrong doings contrary to discipline, and other discreditable improper behaviour unbecoming of a police officer that he was charged with.”
I really share in Chukwuma’s opinion that our police need adequate funding, but funding not backed with sincerity of purpose by the leadership makes no sense.
It beats the imagination whenever the police embark on needless defence of the institution anytime corrupt tendencies are raised.
What we have been having over the years as police leadership is at best a smokescreen, IGPs who come and set agenda they do not even believe in because they are more concerned about the status quo ante which is to make money.
Misau’s allegation ought to be taken seriously by the police authorities, the Senate and the government. His allegation as a former police officer is not something he has not weighed the implications.
It is not enough to regard his allegations as misleading, misrepresentation of facts, concocted, and unfounded fallacies to cast aspersions on the commitment of the police as Moshood thinks.
I expect Idris to find out who cleared Misau from the police or the PSC to proceed on retirement without appropriate measures if at all.
Who gave him the rank of DCP instead of DSP? And who has been shielding him all these years he ventured into politics?
A proper investigation will reveal the involvement of many more police chiefs, serving or retired, and these are the things a proper police leadership should show interest in and deal with.
The police authorities should be ashamed an officer deserted in 2010 and it took an allegation from the same man for the authorities to intervene. By the way, is anyone looking for Misau?
In any case, who says the police authorities are not reckless with the way they parcel their men out to all manner of persons for pecuniary reasons in the name of “friends of the police?”
How else to deplete the workforce the police authorities need to embark on for effective policing of our society?
There are no adequate checks and balances in the institutions in Nigeria. The only reason our police officers excel when they go outside the country is because things are not the way they are here.
Misau’s allegation should serve as soul searching for the police leadership. Reviving the police must start with reviving the psyche of the leadership that will trickle down to those they are leading, otherwise, no matter who is in charge, and the amount of money the police get, centres like the Police Training School, Jos will remain unattended to.
Every police leadership is interested in making money, not leaving behind an institution that will help people make money by earning a decent living the way it is known outside the country where our police occasionally go to excel.
