Abba last Tuesday attended the National Security Council meeting alongside the service chiefs with Jonathan presiding, where it was gathered he had to answer a series of questions on the conduct of the polls. However, investigations by New Telegraph showed that Jonathan fired Abba for alleged disloyalty to his administration in the wake of the general elections. Abba will be remembered for the infamous role he played following the defection of House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), during which apart from withdrawing the speaker’s security aides, he superintended over the invasion of the National Assembly by the police to stop Tambuwal from presiding over a plenary session to consider the president’s request for the extension of state of emergency declared in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
It was gathered that Abba started fraternising with the APC, after the announcement of the party’s candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, as winner of the March 28 presidential election. It was learnt that Abba had allegedly “switched allegiance” to the president-elect, perhaps in an effort retain his job. A highly-placed security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the conduct of the sacked IGP, gave some officers cause for concern, considering the fact that loyalty and allegiance, “are total”. He said.
“Few days to the April 11 governorship and Houses of Assembly elections, the IG deployed many AIGs (Assistant Inspectors General of Police) to supervise elections in some states. “What landed the IG in trouble was his order that AIG Mbu (Joseph Mbu), who is in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, should supervise the exercise in Ogun. The question that arose was, why Ogun and not Lagos? “The IG was also seen as working against the tide, when he directed AIG Tunde Ogunshakin to supervise Rivers. Lagos and Rivers were really in contention between the two parties (APC and PDP) and so his decisions were seen (rightly or wrongly) to be in favour of the opposition. This, I want to point out, is still an allegation.”
The source listed another “blunder” purportedly committed by Abba as his presence at a ceremony where the president-elect was issued his certificate of return by Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega. “It may have been a serious blunder for the IG to be present at the issuance of certificate of return to the president-elect. “Don’t forget that this happened the same day or so when service chiefs were locked in a closed door meeting with President Jonathan.
“I doubt if any sitting leader will excuse that action,” the source said. Again, the IGP was said to have been among dignitaries who received Buhari at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a few days after he was declared winner of the keenly-contested poll. This development, another source said, “was improper and inappropriate because until May 29, Jonathan remains the president and Commander- in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
It was also learnt that Jonathan was not happy with Abba for allegedly giving tacit support to 19 APC lawmakers in Ekiti State who have been struggling to unseat the Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, of the PDP. The former IGP, it was gathered, was accused of working in tandem with some chieftains of the APC to fuel the crisis in Ekiti State against the wish of Jonathan that peace must be maintained in all parts of the country after the elections. “This Ekiti Assembly crisis started anew and with sustained vigour after the result of the presidential election was announced and Major General Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the president-elect.”
The source said: “It was clear that the former IGP had agreed to provide cover for the APC lawmakers to enter Ekiti State and go ahead with their impeachment plan.” It said the president did not want crisis in the state “and therefore had to remove him to ensure law and order prevail and therefore maintain peace in the state and indeed all parts of the country.”
Abba, the 17th indigenous IGP, until his appointment in acting capacity on August 1 last year, was the AIG in Zone 7, Abuja. Abba, whose appointment was confirmed by the Senate in November 2014, succeeded Mr. M. D Abubakar, who retired after serving the mandatory 35 years in service. He is proceeding on forced retirement considering the fact that he still has four years before retirement, having enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Inspector in 1984.
The fate that befell Abba yesterday could be likened to what one of his predecessors, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, suffered. Onovo was sacked by Jonathan on September 8, 2010, barely 14 months after his appointment. Onovo was sacked a few months after the Anambra State governorship election, which saw the return of Mr. Peter Obi for a second term. Another police boss Jonathan sack was Mr. Hafiz Ringim. Ringim, who was Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa State at a time when Jonathan was governor of the oil-rich state, was fired in January, 2012, less than three months to his mandatory retirement.
With the appointment of Arase as acting IGP, Jonathan has worked with five IGPs, appointed four and sacked three. Arase, until his appointment, was the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in charge of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigative Department.
He was the fifth in the rank of eight DIGs, who constituted the Police Management Team (PMT) under Abba. Arase, 59 and a 1980 graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, enlisted into the force in 1981. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Law, as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies. He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College. The change of guard was received with mixed feelings by officers and the rank and file at the Force Headquarters yesterday.
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