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Anxiety, outbursts, as police recruits 50 ‘repentant thugs’ into special squad
The recruitment of 50 “repentant thugs” into Kano State Police Command, has sent tongues wagging, even with the enthusiasm of the top echelon that it is a good move police and development to rejoice about.
Mohammed Usaini Gumel, Commissioner of Police, had explained that the new recruits were drafted into the special constabularies in Kano, while Abdullahi Haruna the command’s spokesperson, said the development was a thing of great joy.
Haruna said: “Today is a happy day for the good people of Kano State and the Police Command because we passed out fifty (50) youths from the two hundred and twenty-two (222) repentant thugs who have since surrendered themselves.”
Following the outrage generated by the move, the police boss, denied that the new recruits were criminals, while the official explanation of the police high command in Abuja, was that they were not policemen, but a “community-based initiative.”
Gumel spoke particularly of one Nasiru Abdullahi, whose enlistment generated serious attention, saying he was among the 222 ‘repentant influential youths’ who denounced violence and chose to become “good ambassadors” of the state, while another identified as Abdullahi, popularly known as Chile Madobi, had earlier been granted amnesty by the state government.
Explaining that the move actually came from the directives of the state government, which said the youths were de-radicalised and properly profiled, during which about 50 of them volunteered to help police in the ongoing fight against criminal elements in the state, the police boss, faulted reports alleging that the state command was training constabularies at a training school, wondering when and where the state it had built a training school.
His words: “All the 222 influential youths, who surrendered themselves were properly profiled and the state government organised a training for them into various trades under its skills acquisition programmes. The State Governor, who already gave them amnesty directed us to profile them and find out where they can fit in for skills acquisition and human empowerment. Out of the 222 influential youths, 50 of them volunteered to help the police in fighting crimes and criminal activities in the state. Nasiru Abdullahi is one of them.”
Against the sharp condemnation from Nigerians on X (formerly Twitter), that this might increase unruly behaviour among the security agent, Muyiwa Adejobi, spokesman of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) said: “They are not policemen. I was told, and it’s been in the news that they are repentant individuals who have been mobilised into the constabulary scheme of Kano State. The Constabulary scheme is not police but a community-based initiative.”
Replying to Adejobi, @ifyforever pointed out: “From your explanation I can deduce that you know nothing about their supposed repentance until recently when you were “told”.
“Now who certify these guys” Repentant”?
“Secondly, does the lion building hold a debrief of them, psychology evaluation and assessment or is the job of the state department.”
“Thirdly, do you rely on whatever you were told just because it came from your officers and do not carry out your own investigation to ascertain the clarity of pictures they paint for you.
“Many questions on my mind don’t even know which one to write.”
In the reactions that have trailed the recruitment, @greasedbygrace called on the Adejobi and Lagos Police Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin, saying, “@Princemoye1 @BenHundeyin Can u guys confidently authenticate this. I remember u saying we should recruit the best people to the police force.”
“??? Criminals in police uniform?” @CarDeliverySer1 questioned.
“Constable is not the police but they wear the same uniform,” @_weyimi reacted. “If they are out on the streets performing police duties and they are told it is wrong, what will the police do to them??? You do realize this is a problem or let’s all believe this is a skit.”
Speaking about an alleged notorious miscreant among the new recruits, @harrizone98 tweeted, “Frame 1: Nigeria Police Special Constabulary Officer in uniform. Frame 2: Chile Maidoki, repentant Kano criminal. FPPRO either doesn’t know this or he’s making up excuses for a criminal.”
“Nigeria is comedy central tbh, it’s only sad that these comic acts are played in real-life situations,” @AkinronbiDave said.
@ItisRitchie reacted, “Repentant criminal? Was he ever arrested or even taken to court? This is how they recruited criminals as SARS then.”
Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, seems to find merit in the damning verdict of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), accusing security agencies in Nigeria of complicity in the deluge of terrorist attacks in the country.
Jare Ajayi, National Secretary of the group, in agreeing with the position, posited on Wednesday: “This is because of the strong belief that the nature of terrorism bedeviling Nigeria would not be festering for this long without complicity from some powerful quarters.”
Though he acknowledged the determination of some patriotic operatives and government to stem the tide, he posited how difficult it was to believe that the activities of the terrorists would continue to thrive without active connivance.
Hear him: “With the vows by the President and top security officers, one has the feeling that the government is determined to end terrorism in Nigeria. When President Bola Tinubu appointed General Christopher Musa, (retd), as Minister of Defence, we had a lot of hope that within months, a total stop would be put to terrorism and banditry in the country.
“Unfortunately, there seems to be a spike, rather than reduction. The reason for this could be rooted in sabotage and complicity from within and from without. This tends to buttress the alarm raised by the US Commission.”
Stressing how the organisation been consistently calling the attention of authorities to areas that needed be looked into he maintained that these included politicians, who could be complicit in promoting the urgly situation.
Citing the recent comments by Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, who pointed in the same direction, Ajayi stated that no matter how unpalatable the position of the US body could be: “It is very important not to dismiss it but to use it a beacon with which to comb all areas.”
“Many people doubted us. Some dismissed us. Others predicted confusion, division, and even outright collapse. But you stood firm. You kept faith with the ADC. And today, because of your commitment, our party stands taller, stronger, and more united.”
With these words, David Mark, National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday’s night showered praises on members for conducting what he considered a flawless presidential primary election to choose its candidate for the 2027 election.
Mark, Senate President from 2007 to 2015, his audience at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, that by the outcome, the party had demonstrated that democracy and political competition could still thrive in Nigeria without crisis or division.
Regardless of the rejection of the result of the exercise by Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), who contested in the exercise, the former Chairman of the National Assembly, was still upbeat about its outcome.
Atiku Abubakar, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, had emerged winner of the process that took place across Nigeria from Monday till Wednesday, when the result was eventually announced.
The declared result showed that the former VP who would be running for the nation’s number one job for a record seven times came tops with Atiku 1,846,370, to Amaechi’s 504,117 and Hayat-Deen’s 177,120. Total votes cast in the election: 2,546,457 in the 3,113,599 tally.
Mark, who officially presented the ADC flag to Atiku as the party’s presidential standard-bearer, was emphatic that the exercise was not merely about producing a presidential candidate but about proving that internal democracy could still function effectively in the country.
Hear him: “Today is not just about announcing a presidential candidate. Today is also about proving a point to Nigeria and to Nigerians. It is about proving that democracy can still work.
“Proving that political competition does not have to become political warfare. That a party can organise itself around principles instead of personalities. This event has shown that in a season of deep national anxiety, a bright future is still possible.”
Stressing that had doubted the party’s ability to conduct a peaceful and credible primary, with some predicting division and collapse within the ADC, he praised members of the Presidential Screening Committee and Presidential Primary Election Committee for what he described as their professionalism and commitment to fairness despite pressure surrounding the exercise.
“In the face of enormous pressure, logistical complexity, and intense national attention, they carried out their responsibilities with courage, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to fairness and transparency. The conduct of the primary has strengthened confidence in the party and its democratic process.
“Their work has strengthened the credibility of this exercise and reinforced the confidence of our members and the Nigerian people in the integrity of the African Democratic Congress.
“It is important to mention that we are the only political party to have three strong aspirants contest for the presidential ticket. This alone makes the ADC unique in its deep commitment to democracy and democratic practices.
“By subjecting themselves to this process, they did not merely contest an election. They strengthened democracy. And despite efforts in some quarters to create uncertainty and tension, they remained committed to this process and to the ideals of this party,” he added.
For Nnenna Nnannaya-Oti, the first female Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), it was another day of glory, as Alex Otti, Governor of Abia laid out another red carpet for her in lieu of her starling performance in the 2023 governorship election in the state.
The university don, was the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who was nationally recognised for standing her ground against forces that reportedly tried to skew the process, leading to the emergence of Otti as governor.
Since then, she had received several recognitions including from the governor and other bodies, including her own students at FUTO, who gave her a heroic welcome upon the conclusion of her INEC task – the first and only one to be so accorded in Nigeria.
Wednesday’s recognition came through the naming of the newly inaugurated Umuahia Central Bus Terminal, a multimodal transport facility in the state capital after her, by the governor, who said it was in recognition of her role in that exercise.
Otti, who stressed that the decision was informed by her act of courage, integrity and commitment to truth, said: “This terminal has been named after Professor Nnenna Nnannaya-Oti, the courageous INEC returning officer who demonstrated unflinching integrity in the discharge of her duties during a high-stakes election assignment here in Abia.”
The governor, while stating that the honour was not limited to don alone but symbolised all individuals who resisted electoral manipulation added: “In 2023, through her courageous disposition of standing firmly by the truth… she reminded us that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results by simply saying no.
“So she’s just a representative of all of you—INEC staff who never bent, party officials who didn’t give in, security agencies… people who said no to intimidation.”
Stressing that the state had moved beyond basic infrastructure delivery to building an integrated transport system, he said: “The days of playing small is over. We shall no longer confine ourselves to the margins.”
He explained that the terminal was designed to accommodate over 340 buses and would improve accessibility, safety and efficiency in urban transport operations, adding that it would be supported by electric bus services, with 20 already in operation, while additional units are expected in phases.
“Services will keep improving as more buses are delivered… and you can tell with accuracy when a particular bus will arrive and depart,” he said.
He urged residents to protect the facility and support government efforts by maintaining order and paying taxes, warning against vandalism, waste disposal violations and other practices that could undermine the project, stressing that offenders would face sanctions.
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