“I will do whatever it takes to bring the excesses of violent criminals to a halt. Those who know me, know that I don’t make idle boasts.”
These were the remarks of the new Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba at the formal handing over of power by the former IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, in Abuja yesterday.
The new IGP) made it clear that the days of all criminals in whatever guise, including the dreaded Islamic group, Boko Haram, are numbered.
Abba promised: “We will satisfy the expectations all Nigerians. We will operate in consonance with the law. We will minimize the excesses in the exercise of power. The expectations of Nigerians on accountability will be adhered to.
“We will continue with our professional crime fighting strategy. We will build on the confidence of the public, which is one of the principles of community policing. What we will do is that professional crime fighting strategy will be advanced and as we advance it, we will be complementing the principles of community policing so that at the end of the day, we will achieve our objectives.”
IGP Abba however blamed previous governments in the country for their inability to implement police reforms, stressing that it is only the late President Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan’s government that have succeeded in implementing reforms in the police force.
This, he said, has immensely improved the efficiency of the force in the past few years.
Abba noted with regret that some aspect of attitudinal changes are completely missing in the force and that his administration will focus making sure that the attitude of officers and men of the force is changed for the better.
“The focus of my leadership shall be on attitudinal change. We will make sure that we have ethical values and standards.”
Speaking earlier, former IGP, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, commended the men and officers for their support and cooperation, saying that he felt fulfilled handing over the mantle to Abba.
He expressed optimism that Abba will do his best in the circumstance he found himself, adding: “Abba is smart, has the ability and capacity to do the job.”
He pledged to support the force in anyway, considering the immense experience he has gathered in the fight against terrorism over the years. [myad]
