The Nigerian Police Force, has berated one retired army Major General, Garba Wahab, for saying that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has lost total control of the police force.
The Police in a statement on Tuesday 17th November 2020, while denying the claims by Garba Wahab, said IGP Mohammed Adamu is in firm control of the Police Force, as the retired Major-General Garba Wahab is clearly wrong in his assessment. The Police stated that he spoke on issues outside of his area of core competence.
The Police in their statement released on their official Twitter handle said:
“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to comments and reactions during an interview session on Channels TV Sunrise Daily program of 13th November 2020 where, one Major General Garba Wahab (rtd) commented that “rather than improving the improvement (sic) the IGP is sitting down there with all the paraphernalia of office deprived of actually having control of police he is not in control”.
The statement by the Police went further to state that, “Force wishes to categorically state that the Rtd Major General is wrong in his assertion as IGP Adamu is firmly in control of the administration and operation of the Nigeria Police Force.
It notes that the comments by Rtd Major General Garba Wahab show that he spoke purely out of ignorance and from a jackboot mentality that lacks proper understanding of democratic policing culture, rooted in the Rule of Law”.
“It reiterates that the retired Officer clearly spoke on a subject outside his areas of core competence,”.
Highlighting some of the achievements of the Nigerian Police led by IGP Adamu to proof Garba Wahab wrong, the statement continued by further stating that:
“It is noteworthy that since his assumption of office as the 20th indigenous Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni, a global policing icon, has in the past twenty-three months of his leadership of the Force, shown sterling qualities in what the operational/administrative command and control of the Force should be.
This is exemplified in the various reform policies being implemented to reposition the Force for greater efficiency, uphold the rule of law in policing actions and drive a citizen-centred policing approach.
It is to the credit of his robust leadership style that even in the face of the recent violence occasioned by the ENDSARS protest and provocative attacks on Police personnel and assets, the officers under his command exercised maximum restraint and stayed calm, professional and committed to maintaining law and order in the country.
The Force, therefore, enjoins the general public and privileged opinion moulders not to allow sentiments becloud their sense of judgment but to use opportunities of national platforms to offer constructive criticisms and advocate opinions that will help in improving governance generally and policing in particular in the country. Major General Garba Wahab (rtd) will do well to fact-check his assumptions before going public,” the statement added.
Speaking on a current affairs program, Sunrise, Gen Wahab, who spoke on the insecurity across Nigeria said, had said IGP Adamu was no longer in control. He said:
“The IGP Maybe sitting in Abuja with the paraphernalia of office, but he has lost the control of the police force.” He said.
He recalled what happened when the minister of transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi was the governor of Rivers state, leading to a brickbat between him and the commissioner of police in the state then.
Gen Garba Wahab had said the #EndSARS protests across the country has exposed that the IGP has lost total control of the police.
He also added that something must be done urgently for the police to regain their morale that has been at the lowest ebb after the attack on barracks and its personnel by hoodlums who hijacked the #EndSARS Protest.
…it clearly took the Police that long to reply to these allegations to Garba Wahab, and this still does not address the questions raised by the retired general…