By Taye Obateru & Luka Binniyat
Jos—Christians in the 19 Northern states, under the aegis of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, yesterday, berated President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing Alhaji Mohammed Dikko Abubakar as Acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP.

They alleged that Abubakar had been officially documented as a Muslim fanatic who allegedly aided the killing of Christians in the 2001 Jos violence, citing a White Paper from the Nikki Tobi Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the mayhem.

The Plateau State Government and the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLOs, also described the appointment of Abubakar as acting IGP despite the said indictment as unfortunate and evidence that President Jonathan was not properly briefed on the matter.

Northern CAN, at a news conference in Abuja, yesterday, by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Sunday Oibe, said Abubakar’s appointment was an extension of terrorism, especially in Northern Nigeria.

Plateau govt reacts

Chief of Staff, Government House, Bauchi State, Mr. Gyang Pwajok, in his reaction in Jos, described the appointment as a big surprise to the government, considering the fact that the state government sent a copy of the White Paper, which indicted the Acting IGP and recommended his retirement to the Presidency.

Pwajok said: “Plateau State government did its best by coming out with the White Paper concerning the crisis in 2001. The President recently said we should forward the paper which we did. I wonder if that document has been examined by the appropriate authority.

“This would have served as opportunity for the government to know about the character of individuals concerning the crisis.”

He said the implication of the appointment was that someone who failed on a lower assignment was being saddled with a higher responsibility, adding that the Justice Niki Tobi Commission of Enquiry painstakingly documented the roles played by individuals in the crisis and recommended the actions to be taken in each case.

The White Paper had described Abubakar as a religious bigot, accusing him of playing an ignoble role in the 2001 crisis when he was the Commissioner of Police in Plateau State.

Commission’s White Paper

The White Paper read: “Religious fanatics should not be posted to head state police commands.

“The commission recommends that for his ignoble role during the September 2001 crisis which resulted in the loss of lives, the former Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, Alhaji M. D. Abubakar, be advised to retire from the Nigeria Police Force and in the event of his refusal to do so, he should be dismissed from the service.”

CLO’s Executive Director, Mr. Steve Aluko, who was in charge of the CLO’s Zonal Office in Jos at the time of the 2001 crisis, described the appointment as disturbing considering.

He said: “The activities of Abubakar as the Commissioner of Police in Plateau State is glaring to all. Since he is on probation for six months before he would be confirmed, let Nigerians watch him to see if he has changed from the Abubakar we knew as the Commissioner of Police .”

Also, addressing a news conference on the issue, Mr. Oibe said: “The choice of Abubakar came to us a big surprise because this man’s career is trailed by controversy based on religious fanaticism.”