Kingsley Omonobi, Abuja

As at the last count, the Boko Haram menace, bombings, coordinated attacks and failed attempts resulting in IEDs exploding, and burning of schools had consumed the lives of over 1, 200 persons.

This was before the sad helicopter crash of Wednesday 14th March 2012, in Jos when the BELL helicopter carrying DIG Haruna John, the DIG in charge of operations at Force headquarters, ACP Garba Yelwa (Pilot), CSP Alexander Pwol-Ja (Co-Pilot), and Sergeant Sonatian Shirunam (Orderly), crashed.

While nobody knows why it crashed, the IGP has said investigation by the Accident and Investigation Bureau of the Aviation ministry will reveal the true position.

The fact remains that the death of Haruna John and others has re-emphasized the need to tackle the Boko Haram menace holistically.

“If Boko Haram had not bombed St. Finbar’s Catholic Church in Jos and another one, Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) on Sunday 11th of March 2012, DIG Haruna John who just resumed office two weeks ago, would not have travelled to Jos to carry out surveillance of the state by air and attempt to strategise ways and means of checkmating the deadly attacks of the sect and he would still be alive today”, a close confidant of his retorted.

As the Commissioner of Police of the Federal Capital Territory, Haruna John worked with the Presidency because he had to see Mr. President routinely.

He worked with the Defence and Military High Commands because he must attend meetings. He worked with the diplomatic corps because the security of ambassadors and embassies were his responsibilities. He was a workaholic officer who once told the media that he only slept for two hours a night if he was lucky.

In areas where he had worked as CP, like Niger State, Benue State, Anambra State, Federal Operations and Lagos State, the legacies of efficiency, result orientation, improvement of welfare of officers and men made those that have crossed his part want to continue to associate themselves with him wherever work took him to.

Saturday Vanguard was told a story of how Haruna John, a Christian from Taraba State sponsored and used his influence to assist Muslims to perform the holy hajj pilgrimage, several times telling the faithful to always pray for peace in the country. He was a detribalized Nigerian who though has siblings that are Muslims, did not allow that to influence his relationship with people.

As the Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar himself said, “I am the saddest person as a result of Haruna’s death. I have known and worked with Haruna for over 31 years. I know his capability, his effectiveness, which is why I recommended him as my DIG Operations. It is indeed a great loss to the Police force. This is the price to pay in the service of this country.”

Late DIG, Haruna John

It is against this background that officers both in the Police, the Military, FRSC, Civil Defence, SSS, etc who know how thorough and professional DIG Haruna John was, found it difficult to swallow the bitter pill that the death of the DIG was just another accident.

“Haruna John was the backbone of the IGP. I believe they know that his combination with the IGP would have turned not only the Police around, but image of the force among Nigerians and fellow security agencies. They did not want that. They felt his goodness, down to earth way of life, respect for even the lowest personnel would disturb the status-quo, which is why they killed him,” angry personnel said.

An instance of how some senior officers wanted to divert the millions of naira allocated as allowances of officers and men working to ensure free and fair elections in the state he presided over, during the last general elections in the country was given whereby 70% of the allowances had been reserved to be shared by a cartel of senior officers while only 30% was to be disbursed generally.

When he got wind, he  called for the allocation, summoned all heads of departments, including Inspectors, Sergeants, ASPs, DSPs, CSPs, ACPs, according to  working their deployments and shared everything himself to the disbelief of all the officers. They were shocked that such allowances had been allocated to them all these months and they only got peanuts.

What has continued to baffle many is that the same BELL helicopter in which the DIG and others crashed, was one of four brand new helicopters delivered to the Nigeria Police from the US between October and December last year.

On several occasions, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, was flown in the helicopter by the AIG in charge Helicopters, Mr. Samuel Illesanmi Aguda to Lagos, Calabar, Kano, Benue. Few days before it crashed the IG was flown in it to Ila Oragun, Osun State when he went to inspect facilities at the Mobile Police Training School for officers on Friday, 10th March, 2012.

From ILA Oragun, the IGP was flown to Jos, where Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) who had been on Course at the Police Staff College , were scheduled to graduate the next day, Saturday 11th March 2012.

From Jos, after the graduation ceremonies which he presided over, the same helicopter flew the IGP to Kano where he had some official engagements before returning to Abuja the same weekend.

His journey to Jos to join up with the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, to ascertain the level of damage following last Sunday’s Boko Haram attack on St. Finbar’s Catholic Church and proffer new strategies had been completed but Haruna John decided to carry out further surveillance leading to his death.

Before entering the helicopter, he was said to have asked the Pilot and Co-pilot if the Bell helicopter was good to go, to which he was given a definitive ‘yes sir’ but five minutes later, a machine without any electrical, mechanical or detected problem, caught fire mid air, crash landed and exploded, killing all on board.

“The crash of that helicopter should be investigated. It cannot be ordinary. This is an aircraft that is new. It has been flying all over and nothing, not a single sign to indicate there was a problem and suddenly it catches fire on air. There is more to this and I hope the IGP will not take it lightly”, an officer said.

“I can vouch for that helicopter because I have had the privilege of flying in Police helicopters. They (machines) are in top shape and knowing the person in charge of the helicopters (AIG Aguda), and he does not compromise when it comes to the conditions of the helicopters.

“The reason is because Mr. President has flown in these helicopters, the Senate President flies these helicopters, the Service Chiefs, ministers and top government functionaries fly these helicopters and we have not heard of things like this. Why is it when it came to the turn of DIG Haruna John to fly that the helicopter crashed? One officer asked.

However, the Inspector General of Police who could not hold back tears when news of the death of Haruna hit him that Wednesday, has said the police cannot say anything about sabotage until the accident and investigation experts from the civil aviation authorities carry out and conclude their investigation into the crash.Only then can the police take it over and if it is discovered there is foul play, the police would pursue the investigation to its logical conclusion, he said.