President Muhammadu Buhari says he chose Usman Baba over Moses Jitoboh as the acting inspector general of police because he has been a policeman for a long time and “has the necessary experience.”
Mr Baba’s appointment, which will be forwarded to the Senate for confirmation, will effectively deny Mr Jitoboh, the police chief from Bayelsa who should have been the inspector general in line with the law.
In December, Peoples Gazette uncovered Mr Buhari’s hidden plot to deprive Mr Jitoboh of the role in violation of the Nigerian law.
Mr Buhari, who announced the acting police chief’s appointment while in London, said he followed due process in selecting the new police chief.
He stated, “Well, we went through the system. There was a committee by the Minister of Police Affairs, they gave me some names, and he happened to be the one chosen.
“He knows his job. He has been in it for a long time. He went through all the training. He has the necessary experience.”
“So, we have a high expectation from him,” the president added.
He, however, urged the new service chiefs and Mr Baba to work diligently towards meeting Nigerians’ expectations.
Mr Buhari gave the charge while assessing the performances of the new service chiefs and the tasks before them and that of the acting inspector general of police.
While fielding questions from State House correspondents on his arrival from his London medical trip, Mr Buhari explained, “They (service chiefs) have been in the system all the way. They know what is wrong.”
He further said, “They know what is right, and I think they are doing their best.
“I hope their best will be good enough for Nigeria.”
The presidential aircraft conveying the president and some presidential aides landed at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at about 4.45 p.m. on Thursday.
Those at the airport to welcome the president included the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello, and the National Security Adviser to the president, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno.
Others were Mr Baba, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufa’i, the Director General of the State Security Services, Yusuf Bichi, and other presidential aides.
After a brief welcoming ceremony at the airport, the president boarded a presidential helicopter that conveyed him to the Presidential Villa.
Mr Buhari had, on March 30, departed Abuja for London for a so-called routine medical check-up.
