>
Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, has explained why former Inspector- General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, did not complete the three months tenure extension granted him by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking with State House correspondents on Tuesday Dingyadi said it is the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari to decide on when to make an appointment.
The president had earlier approved the appointment of Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba as the new acting IGP.
Baba replaces Adamu who was given a three-month tenure extension by the president on February 4. Adamu had spent two months and three days out of the three months.
When asked for the reason behind the president’s decision not to allow the outgoing IGP complete his extended tenure, Dingyadi said: “Mr. President is aware of this and you cannot take away that responsibility from him; he’s the one who is in charge of appointing or extending tenures.
“He has now decided to appoint a new person. So please allow him that responsibility and we cannot do anything about it.”
The minister said Buhari is grateful to the outgoing IGP “for his professionalism and dedication to duty during the period of his tenure.”
Commenting on the appointment of the new IGP, the minister said he was picked after a “thorough check of a shortlist of suitably qualified police officers from the rank of DIGs and AIGs, who are eligible police officers, eligible for appointment as IGP.”
He added that Baba’s appointment is in line with the president’s goal “to rejig the security architecture of the country, to ensure that the security challenges bedeviling the nation are brought to an end.”
According to him, the president has charged Baba to “rise to the challenge to ensure policing reform policy of this administration are fully prioritised and implemented.”
Until his appointment, Baba was the DIG in charge of Force Criminal Investigation Department at the police headquarters in Abuja.