Some security experts on Tuesday described the appointment of Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Ibrahim Idris, by President Muhammadu Buhari as the acting Inspector General of Police (acting I-G) as commendable and a welcome development.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that he would be a square peg in a square hole in his new appointment based on his local and international experiences.
The experts that included retired senior police officers said that Idris had all it takes to excel in his new job.
NAN reports that Ibrahim Idris was on Tuesday appointed Acting Inspector-General of Police, to replace Solomon Arase, whose tenure officially ended on Monday when he turned 60.
Until his appointment, Idris, who hails from Kutigi, Niger, served as Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of federal operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Mr David Omojola, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG, described Idris as a reliable, honest and dependable officer.
Omojola, who served as the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police, Zone-1 Kano, while Idris was a Commissioner in Kano State, said that the new acting I-G would not only deliver but would move the force to the next level.
“He is articulate, organised and has passion for the job. He has never been a push-over,” Omojola said.
Also, Mr Ibezimako Aghanraya, a retired Commissioner of Police (CP), urged the new acing I-G to ensure that all officers and men in the force wear same uniform.
According to Aghanraya, when you see five policemen, they will be wearing five different uniforms under one organisation.
“You cannot ask a Nigerian child to describe the colour of the uniform of the Nigeria Police Force and he or she will be able to do so.
“In other nations, it is not so.
“The new I-G should also upgrade the curriculum of the police colleges. He should recruit new lecturers and trainers with modern security knowledge into the schools.
“He should also remove all anti-terrorist policemen from the roads. The road is not meant for them.
“Anti-terrorist policemen should be in their training camp, preparing to be deployed for operations against terrorists any time,” Aghanraya said.
Another retired Police Commissioner (CP), Mr Fulani Kwajafa, said that Idris was both an action and an experienced police officer, stressing that there was no doubt in his appointment.
“He is disciplined, creative; no doubt that he is a sound material for the job. He will continue from where Arase stopped.
“We have high expectations from him. All Nigerians are expecting much from him on security situation in the country,” he said.
For Mr Folorunso Attah, a security expert, the performances and experiences of Idris at the UN operations would be added advantages for him to do well as the new police boss.
“His appointment did not come as a surprise,” Attah noted.
A former Chairman of Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), Mr Christopher Oji, said that Idris as an operational officer at various levels would have less problems in heading the force.
Oji called on him to make the welfare, particularly, accommodation and capacity building of officers and men, part of his priorities.
Meanwhile, the new acting I-G would formally take- over from his predecessor-in-office, Mr Solomon Arase, on Wednesday at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The force spokesperson, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, disclosed this to NAN, stressing that details about the acting I-G would be released then to the public. (NAN)