A chance meeting with the newly posted police boss in Delta state, Alkali Baba Usman,  was as astonishing as it was eventful. The soft-spoken officer displayed  unusual candour rare among most of his colleagues. In fact, he behaved as if he had met a long-time friend.

No wonder the Inspector-General of Police  chose to send him to the oil -rich, but problematic Delta State, as the new Police helmsman.
He was readily forth- coming with answers to questions from Emma Nnadozie.
Excerpts:

When you were announced as new Commissioner of Police in charge of Delta State, how did you feel?
I felt that I am into a challenge, which I prayed I can surmount.

Are you conversant with the inherent challenges you are going to face?
I am getting conversant with the challenges ahead.

Let’s talk about the position of Delta State in terms of crime in this country. How equipped are you to fight crime?
With the structures I met on ground and the support the government is giving in fighting crime, I have no reason to fail.

CP Alkali

What will be your watchword in your efforts to fight crime?
I have said it earlier on, that I want to ensure that crime and criminality are reduced to the barest minimum in Delta State.

How are you going to carry your men  along in this new dispensation?
We are in Delta State for the purpose of policing and I will use all the resources available at my disposal, both human and material, to ensure that my men are motivated to do the job.

How  would you carry down the ladder, the programmes of the new Inspector-General?
Well, by policing by example, I will be together with them at all points in time to do the Police job, day and night.

Before we continue, would you kindly give us a brief background of who Alkali Baba Usman is?
Alkali Baba Usman was born sometime in 1963. I am an alumnus of Bayero University, Kano, and the University of Maiduguri, UNIMAID. I am married with children. I joined the Nigerian Police Force sometime in March 1988. I rose from the rank of ASP, and thence to the rank of Commissioner of Police, last January 27th.

I attended all the courses that are mandatory to be attended at various ranks and I also attended extra courses like  investigation, insurgency and counter- terrorism, including traffic management.
I am a member of the International Association of  Police, I am a fellow of the International War College. This is my first command.

Before now, where did you serve ?
I have served in various commands. I was in Kaduna as the Deputy Commissioner, Administration, I was in FCT as the Deputy Commissioner, Investigation, and I was also in the staff college as a directing staff.

Again, I was in Ilorin as an Area Commander, I was the second-in-command in Ebonyi, I was Assistant Commissioner, CID in Kaduna, and before then I was DPO (Divisional Police Officer) in various places like Yola, Gombe, Kaduna, and Jos. I have attended peace keeping operations outside the country and so forth.

How are you going to manage the excesses of politicians in Delta  State?
I will play the game by the rules, and whoever does not play by the rule should expect that I have nothing to do with him but to allow the law to take its course.

The issue of militancy and kidnapping, what magic wand are you coming with?
I have met very good structures on ground to fight kidnapping and armed robbery. I am going to sustain them and improve on them. The outfit I met which the former CP did, has kept kidnapping and armed robbery in check; these are things I intend to improve on.

How do you intend to deal with other security challenges?
That is why after I have paid my courtesy call on the governor, the next courtesy call I made  was to security agencies and media houses, both electronic and print media. This morning, I visited the Federal Road Safety Corps and Civil Defence. I have visited the Prisons. I have visited NTA and The Pointer. These visits are to synergize to fight crime and criminality in Delta state.

How are you going to check the excesses of your men in Delta State?
Just as I was reporting, I called the Officer in-charge of escort and the provost and briefed them on my policy and checkmating the activities of policemen that are not ready to do the police job as they need to.  I have put two departments in place to check the excesses of policemen in case of indiscipline or getting involved in unwholesome activities.

In the area of road blocks and decongestion of cells, what should the people of Delta state expect from you?
I have just directed that a detailed report on the state of all the cells in Delta State be brought to me on daily basis to put check on the cells particularly, in the Criminal Investigation  Department.

As for road blocks, the IG has not ordered that road blocks to be re-instated rather, he encouraged the establishment of pin-down points and stop-and- search. So, we are going by it.  And if you find any road blocks anywhere in the state, please let me know either now or anytime, through phone call or any other authorized means, because the IG has not brought back the road blocks, but we are not leaving the roads free.

Lastly what would you like to leave as your legacy?
I want to leave a legacy of policing with human face.