The fall of Ringim
Following the serious worries expressed by Nigerians over the perceived inability of Hafiz Ringim as Inspector General of Police (IGP) to stem the tide of insecurity in the country, President Goodluck Jonathan has finally relieved the former IGP of his duties. He was, last Wednesday, sent on terminal leave preparatory to his retirement in March, 2012.
Mohammed Abubakar, an Assistant Inspector General, was appointed to take over as the new Inspector General of police. Ringim’s tenure as Inspector General did not have much to commend it. His immediate predecessor, Ogbonnaya Onovo, was removed from office over the insurgent activities of Boko Haram, a militant Islamic sect.
On his appointment as Onovo’s replacement, the expectation was that Ringim would depart radically from the situation he met and nurture a police force that would have the capacity to secure the country from the menace of insurgent groups, particularly Boko Haram. Regrettably, under Ringim, Boko Haram did not only graduate to a terrorist organization, it developed wings, leaving death and destruction in its wake almost on daily basis. It was under Ringim that the militant sect had the audacity to break into the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force and bombed it. The incident was a big national embarrassment.
The expectation thereafter was that the incident would galvanise the IGP into action and make him go all out to wage war against terror. But that was not to be. The terror gang continued to reign supreme in the land. Before Ringim was finally sacked, Boko Haram had thrown Nigeria into deep mourning over its harvest of deaths.
The carnage that took place in Kano penultimate week was the height of it all. All this were indications that the Inspector General was not equal to the task.
But what was particularly revolting in all this was the escape from detention of a certain Kabiru Sokoto, the suspected mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State. The circumstances surrounding Sokoto’s escape threw Ringim and the top echelon of the police open to suspicion. Until his removal, the former IGP could not satisfactorily explain the escape of the Boko Haram kingpin.
The sack of Ringim is significant. It draws attention to the fact that protection of life and property remains the primary reason for the existence of government. The government of President Jonathan has been buffeted and harangued to no end over its apparent failure to provide effective security. This failure on the part of government is easily traceable to the failure of the police under Ringim. Having failed to do the job for which he was appointed, it makes sense to relieve him of it so that somebody who has the competence and capacity can come in and save the situation.
This is what Jonathan has done by sacking Ringim and replacing him with Abubakar.
The challenge then is for the new man in the saddle to lift the Nigeria Police out of inertia and save the country from the onslaught of terrorists. Already, a roadmap has been provided for him with the retirement of six Deputy Inspectors General. With this development, Abubakar will have to work with a new crop of officers at the top. Our expectation here is that he will institute a hierarchy that will be worth its name. To succeed, Abubakar must adopt a new approach and a new thinking. He must understand that the country already has a crisis in its hands. His responsibility is to subdue the insurgents, wherever they may be. Nigerians expect a breath of fresh air from the police led by Abubakar.
Significantly, Abubakar already has part of his job already cut out for him with the establishment of a special committee to oversee the reorganization of the Nigeria police. The committee being chaired by the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Parry Osayande, will provide Abubakar the necessary raw materials with which he will build a new, focused and result-oriented police.
However, in these days of growing suspicion over the infiltration of Boko Haram in government, the police and the Armed Forces, according to President Jonathan, Abubakar must be seen to be above board. He must be as transparent as possible. He also has a responsibility to sniff out questionable elements within the force. To win the war against insurgents, the police led by Abubakar must ensure that there are no enemies within.
We urge Abubakar to learn from the mistakes of Ringim and strive hard to make a positive difference. The world is really watching him.
Following the serious worries expressed by Nigerians over the perceived inability of Hafiz Ringim as Inspector General of Police (IGP) to stem the tide of insecurity in the country, President Goodluck Jonathan has finally relieved the former IGP of his duties. He was, last Wednesday, sent on terminal leave preparatory to his retirement in March, 2012.
Mohammed Abubakar, an Assistant Inspector General, was appointed to take over as the new Inspector General of police. Ringim’s tenure as Inspector General did not have much to commend it. His immediate predecessor, Ogbonnaya Onovo, was removed from office over the insurgent activities of Boko Haram, a militant Islamic sect.
On his appointment as Onovo’s replacement, the expectation was that Ringim would depart radically from the situation he met and nurture a police force that would have the capacity to secure the country from the menace of insurgent groups, particularly Boko Haram. Regrettably, under Ringim, Boko Haram did not only graduate to a terrorist organization, it developed wings, leaving death and destruction in its wake almost on daily basis. It was under Ringim that the militant sect had the audacity to break into the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force and bombed it. The incident was a big national embarrassment.
The expectation thereafter was that the incident would galvanise the IGP into action and make him go all out to wage war against terror. But that was not to be. The terror gang continued to reign supreme in the land. Before Ringim was finally sacked, Boko Haram had thrown Nigeria into deep mourning over its harvest of deaths.
The carnage that took place in Kano penultimate week was the height of it all. All this were indications that the Inspector General was not equal to the task.
But what was particularly revolting in all this was the escape from detention of a certain Kabiru Sokoto, the suspected mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State. The circumstances surrounding Sokoto’s escape threw Ringim and the top echelon of the police open to suspicion. Until his removal, the former IGP could not satisfactorily explain the escape of the Boko Haram kingpin.
The sack of Ringim is significant. It draws attention to the fact that protection of life and property remains the primary reason for the existence of government. The government of President Jonathan has been buffeted and harangued to no end over its apparent failure to provide effective security. This failure on the part of government is easily traceable to the failure of the police under Ringim. Having failed to do the job for which he was appointed, it makes sense to relieve him of it so that somebody who has the competence and capacity can come in and save the situation.
This is what Jonathan has done by sacking Ringim and replacing him with Abubakar.
The challenge then is for the new man in the saddle to lift the Nigeria Police out of inertia and save the country from the onslaught of terrorists. Already, a roadmap has been provided for him with the retirement of six Deputy Inspectors General. With this development, Abubakar will have to work with a new crop of officers at the top. Our expectation here is that he will institute a hierarchy that will be worth its name. To succeed, Abubakar must adopt a new approach and a new thinking. He must understand that the country already has a crisis in its hands. His responsibility is to subdue the insurgents, wherever they may be. Nigerians expect a breath of fresh air from the police led by Abubakar.
Significantly, Abubakar already has part of his job already cut out for him with the establishment of a special committee to oversee the reorganization of the Nigeria police. The committee being chaired by the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Parry Osayande, will provide Abubakar the necessary raw materials with which he will build a new, focused and result-oriented police.
However, in these days of growing suspicion over the infiltration of Boko Haram in government, the police and the Armed Forces, according to President Jonathan, Abubakar must be seen to be above board. He must be as transparent as possible. He also has a responsibility to sniff out questionable elements within the force. To win the war against insurgents, the police led by Abubakar must ensure that there are no enemies within.
We urge Abubakar to learn from the mistakes of Ringim and strive hard to make a positive difference. The world is really watching him.
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