The Police High Command has denied that the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, has been asked to proceed on terminal leave.
A statement issued on Thursday night, May 15, 2014 by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said Abubakar was on his desk yesterday, to perform his official duties as the IG.
It was reported that President Goodluck Jonathan had asked Abubakar to proceed on compulsory leave due to the rising insecurity in the country under his watch.
In the letter which was issued early this week through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Abubakar was directed to proceed on leave on Monday and to hand over to his immediate subordinate, Suleiman Fakai, who is the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Finance and Administration.
Mba has denied this report with his statement which read:
Following intense media reports that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar has been asked to proceed on terminal leave by higher authorities, the Police in Abuja said yesterday that no official communication to that effect has been made to the IGP.
Since Tuesday 13th May 2014, to yesterday Thursday 15th, some reports have claimed that the IGP’s tenure was up and that going by tradition, he has been asked to proceed on official leave.
However, Vanguard gathered that MD Abubakar who is the 16th indigenous Inspector General of Police would have put in the mandatory period of service as stipulated in the civil service, by the end of July 2014.
Consequently, if the authorities feel satisfied with his performance as IGP since he assumed office as various sources have indicated, he would be asked to put in his retirement papers and another officer appointed to the position except the Police Council headed by President Goodluck Jonathan thinks otherwise.
Contacted to speak on the true position of things on the issue, Force Public relations officer, CSP Frank Mba said, “The Police High Command is not in receipt of any official communication from appropriate government quarters informing the IGP of his inevitable glorious retirement from the force”.
“Therefore, the IGP, MD Abubakar (CFR), who was fully on his desk today (May 15), has continued to perform his official duties as the 16th indigenous Inspector general of Police.
