There were indications in Abuja that the Federal Government may have given the go-ahead to the new Acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to clean up the top hierarchy of the Police Force. Sources disclosed that over 20 senior officers may be involved in the forthcoming gale of retirements in this regard.
The looming clear-out of the officers is coming just as it also emerged that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a massive redeployment of officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force in Niger Delta, following what was described as their inability to checkmate or contain the destructive and bombing activities of Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups on oil and gas platforms critical to the nation’s revenue base.
The 20 senior officers, mostly Assistant Inspectors General of Police, AIGs, are those who enlisted in the Force before the Acting IGP.
Already, seven Deputy Inspectors General, DIGs, have been retired, following the retirement of former IGP, Solomon Arase, after 35 years in service. Vanguard, however, gathered that the retirement of the 20 senior officers, who form a generation of officers of the police, would create a massive vacuum of both experienced and highly sound professional officers, who are specialists in fields that will affect the force badly.
Regarding the redeployment of police officers from the Niger Delta, Vanguard learned that the alleged discovery that several billions of naira were distributed through a serving Major General in the Nigerian Army, who commanded a Joint Task Force in the area, has shown that security agencies in the Niger Delta had been compromised, and could hardly do much about the marauding and destructive activities of Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups.
Already, new Commissioners of Police have been posted to some of the states, while others would follow suit. A source disclosed that the redeployment would cut across all ranks of the force, down to Commanders, Squadron Commanders and other ranks.
