The immediate past
Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has advised his successor, Ibrahim
Idris, to avoid engaging in acts that could bring any past occupant
of that
office to public ridicule.
In a letter dated
December 1, 2016, which he wrote to Idris, Arase pointed out that it was for
this reason that while he was in office, he ensured that Force Order 295 was
put in place to protect ex-IGs from being demeaned.
Arase, who retired
as police IG in June, said it was in the spirit of this order that he desisted
from ridiculing the last two IGs before him even though he knew that they each
went away with 13 and nine police vehicles respectively when leaving office.
The former IGs,
which Arase referred to, are Mohammed Abubakar, who left in 2014 and Suleiman
Abba, who was asked to leave in April last year by former President Goodluck
Jonathan.
Arase said this in
his reply to the allegations by Idris that he (Arase) took away 24 police
vehicles while leaving office in June as the IG.
The ex-IG had
earlier dismissed his successors allegations that he left with two dozens of
vehicles while leaving office, wondering what he would do with such number of
vehicles.
Arase said rather
than denigrate Abba, who he succeeded, he indeed initiated actions and bought a
brand new bulletproof jeep for the sacked IG despite the fact that Abba’s
administration left a debt of N28bn for him to contend with.
He urged Idris to
put the integrity and honour of the Nigeria Police Force first in any action he
might want to take so that the force would not be exposed to public ridicule.
Arase said, “In
spite of the emplacement of this order and despite the fact that my two
immediate predecessors left office with 13 and 9 vehicles of different makes
and models respectively, I never pressurised either of them to return any of
such vehicles neither did I engage in any act that was capable of bringing them
to ridicule as being done to me of late by a force I dedicated my life to
serving up to the highest level.
“Rather, it is on
record that I went the extra mile to source for funds and initiated actions
towards purchasing a brand new bulletproof jeep for my immediate predecessor,
even after his retirement from service. This was done notwithstanding the fact
that I inherited and had to manage a huge debt profile of about N28bn, which
limited the financial base of the force at the time.”
Among the 13
vehicles, which Arase said Abubakar took away were a BMW (7 series) bulletproof
car; and two Toyota Land Cruiser V8 bulletproof jeeps.
According to him,
Abba also took away a Toyota Land Cruiser bulletproof jeep and a Toyota Land
Cruiser Prado jeep along with seven other vehicles.
Arase said God had
blessed him so much and he was contended to the point that he would willingly
surrender “all my vehicular entitlements even as contained in the Revised Force
Order 295 in the overriding interest of the force and in the sustenance of the
legacy of comradeship between an incumbent IGP and his predecessor.”
He said he decided
to delay in returning the vehicles, which Idris alleged he took away, as a form
of protest against the “unfair, untidy and demeaning approach the matter was
handled until now.”
Arase, however, said
he harboured no animosity towards Idris and encouraged him to feel free to
approach him for advice, just as his predecessors did to him.
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