A new acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, NPM, on Wednesday April 7, 2021, assumed duty as the national police boss, after he was appointed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, April 6.
Baba takes over from Adamu, who retired after 35 years of service in the Nigeria Police Force.
In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, it was said that the handing and taking over of leadership between the former and new Police Chiefs was held in a brief but colourful ceremony at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Mba disclosed that the event climaxed with the symbolic handover of the Nigeria Police flag.
Thanking President Buhari for the opportunity given him to serve the nation and humanity, the new IGP, who is the 21st indigenous Inspector General of Police, pledged to harness all human and material resources of the Force towards improving security, safety, law and order in the country.
In his citation, the FPRO said that Baba, a fellow of the National Defence College, hails from Geidam in Yobe State.
“He was commissioned into the Nigeria Police Force on March 15, 1988, as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, at the prestigious Nigeria Police Academy (Annex), Kaduna.
“He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration (MPA) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
“The astute crime-fighter and versatile manager of men and resources has held several strategic positions in the past, cutting across all the departments of the Force.
“These include: Acting Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Department of Finance and Administration, the Force Secretary, Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 5, Benin, Zone 4, Makurdi and Zone 7, Abuja.
“He was also a former Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Delta Commands among others.
“Until his appointment as the Acting IGP, he was the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department.
“The new Acting IGP, Usman Alkali Baba, holds a policing vision of enhancing police primacy in the protection of lives and property.
“He believes in the provision of motivational and credible leadership, driven by professionalism and strategic planning, all directed at stabilising internal security and modernising police operations within the framework of citizens’ consent, trust, and the rule of law, Mba enumerated.