By Augustine Ehikioya
After squarely battling crime and criminality in many places in Nigeria, Usman Alkali Baba, was appointed the 21st indigenous Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Nigeria Police Force on the 6th of April, 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Baba was the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department at the Force Headquarters just prior to the appointment.
But before then, he served at the FCT Police Command after leaving Delta State Police Command as Commissioner of Police.
From the FCT Command, he was promoted to the of an Assistant Inspector General of Police and posted to Zone 7 Command, Abuja, then to Zone 5 Command, Benin, and to Western Maritime Command before he became a member of the Management Team as the Force Secretary.
Those that put his name forward for the exalted position of IGP believed his wealth of experience and training would be more useful as Nigeria’s number one cop in order to tackle the numerous security challenges facing the Nation at the time.
Looking back one year after the appointment, IGP Baba, has not disappointed many Nigerians as he has been adjudged to have achieved more than expected in the last 12 months.
His vision and mission centering on technology-driven policing, intelligence and community partnership is said to have taken the Nigeria Police Force to higher heights in last one year.
Security Watch Africa (SWA) visited him in his office on Wednesday 13th of April, 2022, to find out how he was able to achieve so much within a short time.
He took time from his busy schedule to grant an exclusive interview to Security Watch Africa at his office at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The time was squeezed out for Security Watch Africa as the IGP was scheduled to commission some projects in Abuja that day apart from his duties in the office.
Arriving at his office around 9a.m, the IGP, who was already busy with files on his table, stopped what he was doing and warmly welcomed the Security Watch Africa Team to his office.
Under IGP Baba’s first one year tenure, a total of 44,348 suspects were said to have been arrested across the country.
Breakdown of the figure included Terrorism/Banditry Suspects 639, Suspected Secessionists 380, Murder Suspects 4,209, Armed Robbery Suspects 4,282, Suspected Kidnappers 2,175, Suspected Cultists 3,503, Economic Saboteurs (oil bunkering) 0, and Other Offences 29,160.
Recoveries during the period included Sophisticated firearms 2,621, Ammunition 51,431, Stolen Vehicles Recovered 995.
The kidnapped Victims Rescued Unhurt in the last 12 months amounted to 2,996.
The cases in Court, in the same period, is broken down to Suspects Charged to Court 76,195, Total Active Cases 57,696, and Offenders Convicted 16,463.
Twenty key policy drives and achievements of IGP Baba within the one year included the development of new policing mission and vision for the Nigeria Police Force, Establishment of man-power development policy, Review of the Force Gender Policy.
Others are Approval of an ICT policy for the Nigeria Police Force, Review of the NPF Housing policy, Standardization of the NPF Personnel Accountability Units in line with the twin policy of reward and punishment, Stabilizing security across the country via the inauguration of Operation Restore Peace and other high profile special operations for crime pravention
Also achieved are Establishment of Special Desks for Persons with Disabilities at all Police Commands nationwide, Inauguration of West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) Headquarters in Nigeria to combat transnational crimes, Deployment of adequate kinetic and non kinetic assests which ensured peaceful elections in Anambre State, Galvanizing international support leading to the election of AIG Garba Baba Umar as INTERPOL Vice President, Africa,
Others are successful hosting of over 10 maiden sporting competitions in various States of the country, Completion of 2020 Police Recruitment and the commencement of Registration for the 2021 batch, Robust expansion of Police Medical Services including the maximum utilization of 150 bed capacity Police Reference Hospital donated by ASR Africa.
Also achieved in the past one year are Development and ongoing implementation of a model Police Station template, Improved working relationship with the Ministry of Police Affairs, Police Service Commission, and the Police Trust Fund, Establishment of International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Desk In Nigeria and the appointment of a Nigerian as a Desk Officer
Others are Reinvention of the NPF Scholarship Scheme for dependents of Police Officers, Incorporation of the Nigeria Police Insurance Company to guarantee seamless insurance services to Officers as well as the general public, Improved collaboration with other security agencies and the international community on intelligence sharing, joint operations and general security.
Speaking with Security Watch Africa, IGP Baba said “I came in at a very difficult period when we were being confronted by the activities of IPOB and ESN in the South East, the activities of bandits and kidnappers almost all over the country, the issue of Boko Haram and others in the North East.
“What we did was to rejig our operational method, then the issue of morale first. The ENDSARS had dampened the morale of our Police Officers and we were always on the defensive rather than offensive.
“So what I did was to first go round the various Commands by encouraging them to go back to policing very properly.
“I set out an agenda of policing, we use a lot of technology, intelligence, and partnership with the communities, partnership with military and other security agencies.
“So, we hit the road, we launched Operation Restore Hope in the South East. We succeeded in bringing down the spate of attacks and killing of Policemen and other security agencies. Even though there is resurgence, we are also doing something on it.
“In the South South, we also went round where we had a lot of effect on Police stations because of the ENDSARS. We partnered with a lot of agencies, organizations to assist in getting our structures that were destroyed back,” the IGP added.
Stressing that he did a lot of things to make the staff go back to their duty, he said, intervention was also sought from the government as budgetary allocation could not solve the problem.
He said “President Muhammadu Buhari gave us a lot of support. We were able to acquire a lot of working tools. So we had a lot of issues of kitting ourselves, both for normal police job and for anti-riot equipment.”
According to him, his administration has been able to revive the air wing unit to support in aerial patrols.
“The last time our air assets were acquired was sometimes 18 years ago. Out of about 13 helicopters, I only met 2 that were working.
“I thank God now, we have about 6 that are working and we are deploying them to the various geopolitical zones for aerial patrols and so forth.”
He promised that moves to boost the Police Marine Department to effectively patrol Nigeria’s waterways will be intensified.
On the North East, he said “In the North East, we have along with the military, and other security agencies. As far as security is concerned, we have done what we could in the past one year.
“But I still can’t beat my chest and say that we have been able to provide the desired result. We are working on it and we will do better with this kind of logistics at our disposal,” the IGP assured.
Speaking on how he came about his vision and mission, the IGP said “The whole issue in my vision and mission is to make a move to improve on what I have met on ground.
“I have been around the headquarters, and I have been around the corridors of power in terms of being a member of the Management Team.”
Noting that his predecessors have done well, he added “There are things that not even identical twins may think the same way. So, I decided to bring in the use of technology, the use of intelligence, partnership, which the government has considered potent.
“It has approved community policing as a platform for Policemen to engage members of the community for them to own policing.
On how he called the bluff of those who threatened that the 2021 Anambra Gubernatorial elections will not hold, he said “Government said election should hold in Anambra State, I have no option than to ensure that the election holds.
“It is not only me, everybody that works towards peace and stability were at work towards strengthening our democracy, and made sure that the election succeeds.
“But on my part, we had better preparation, better support in terms of logistics. We looked at the situation in two ways. We did two types of policing. One, we police the election and the second preparation that we did was to police the insurgents, those who said the election should not hold,” he stated.
Asked if the officers and men under him are really positioned to continue serving the Nation, loyally, he said “To the best of my knowledge, if there is any loyal institution to government, it is the Nigeria Police Force, come rain, come shine, we are ready to provide security.”
The IGP also defended the ongoing distribution of uniforms and other kits to Junior Police Officers, stressing that it is their right.
On purchase of lorries and vehicles, he said “We are able to buy lorries that can take about 50 to 60 persons. We have been able to give all the big Mobile Squadrons at least a lorry where troops can be moved if there are needs to move.
“We have been able to provide the Squadron Commanders with vehicles to lead their men to crisis places.
“In my last one year, Police Trust Fund gave us 200 vehicles, I also bought 256 which I also distributed across the country.
“We also procured arms and ammunition,” he stated.
He added “Proudly, Policemen are seeing changes in the environment they are living and working. I intend to commission Zone 7 Command Headquarters this morning, I was AIG there. We have built a new Area Command in Abuja, which is in Gwarimpa. We are commissioning it today. In Abuja also, we have started building new Police Stations.”
He assured the officers and men that his administration will continue to make the condition of service, both in service and retirement, better.
With improving salaries and allowances, he urged Police personnel not to allow themselves to be used by troublemakers.
Stressing that the Nigeria Police Force is indebted to Nigerians, the IGP urged Nigerians to take ownership of the Police by making inputs.
Security, he said, is everybody’s business and it is not all about making arrest and jailing people.
The IGP also commended the National Assembly, the military and other security agencies, for the tremendous support given to him in the past one year.
Shedding light on the kind of leader his boss is, the Ag. Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said “The IGP has been wonderful, he has been so fantastic. For some of us that are young in the job, before you can work with him, you must read well, you must be brilliant because he is a brilliant person.
“He is not the type you just do garbage in, garbage out with. Oga will read line by line with his pen on his left hand. It shows that he knows his onions and knows what it takes to be the IGP at this crucial time in this country.
“I will only say he is a round peg in a round hole for policing in this country.”
Speaking on some of the IGP’s achievements, he said, his boss has created leadership platform for Police officers and men to work.
Apart from welfare packages for the personnel, he said, the IGP has broken record by embarking on 192 capital projects in the last one year.
To implement the projects, he said his boss thought outside the box, blocked loopholes and leakages to source for funds.
According to the FPRO, the IGP also sourced for the projects’ funds through partnership with private, corporate friends and individuals.
He said “So, people have belief that there is future for the Nigeria Police Force. They want to come in, and they have been coming in to assist the Police.
“What I’m saying about all these projects are evident and measurable things that you see with your naked eyes. So, go across the country, 192 projects,” he stated.
The FPRO also disclosed that the IGP has been trying to standardize certain sectors and systems in the Police.
“He has been professionalizing or specializing our units. Now, if you are not trained in a particular unit, you cannot work in that unit,” he added.
Concluding, the FPRO said “So, the one year of the office of the IGP has been a blessing to the Nigeria Police Force.”
With IGP Baba starting his second year in office as the Inspector General of Police, it is hoped that reforms in the Nigeria Police Force will be fast tracked to the extent of taking officers and men to be at par with other Police officers across the globe.
More importantly, the Police, along with other security agencies, should completely end the current spate of security challenges still facing the Nation, especially banditry and kidnapping in the North, and gunmen attacks in the South East.
Going into the 2023 general elections as the lead agency for internal security, it is also hoped that the Nigeria Police Force will surpass its recorded achievement during the Anambra State Gubernatorial election last year.