By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor, Albert Akpor and Idowu Olaide
The new Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Umar Abubakar Manko, is no doubt, a silent operator.  A well groomed operational officer with long years of exposure in the ‘battle field ‘ of fighting crime and criminals, Umar Manko has traversed virtually all nooks and cranny of the country and beyond, doing the job he knows how to do best.

No wonder, the no-nonsense Acting Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, chose him from the numerous array of gallant officers in the force, to take charge of the very volatile Lagos State having in mind, of course, the indisputable fact that to a large extent, the success of every serving IGP is always measured by the type of Commissioner he posted to the City of Excellence, that is Lagos.  In this his first exclusive interview since assumption of office, the new police boss speaks on the challenges ahead and plans to live up to expectations. Excerpts:

How he received news of posting to Lagos

Well, when I was told that I have been posted to Lagos State, the first thing I did was to thank God and the IGP for seeing me fit to be posted to a place  full of challenges.    I blessed the IGP for his vision.  Having said that, the dream of every police officer is to work in Lagos at a time in his career.

*Umar Abubakar Manko, CP Lagos

So, if the IGP feels that I was fit to work in Lagos as the number one policeman, it is a thing that I should thank God for.  And knowing the peculiarity of Lagos, I think if I used to work hard before, I should work harder now.

With all sense of humility, I will not want to beat my chest to say that I have always left a lasting legacy in all the places I had worked.  That being the case, I think I should be able to cope with the challenges in Lagos.

Being equal to the task

Well, I just read  to you briefly my background as a police officer. And I also told you that in other places I had worked before, my records are very clear and I have worked here before to the level I  did before I left. And having successfully handled the General Investigation Department in those days, I think I should be able to cope with the challenges of this place.

And I want to say that I ‘m going to put all I have within me to ensure that police and policing in Lagos State during this period, would be a period that all the media would be able to say they are able to make a right choice and myself would be able to say, at the end of the day, that I have done my best.

The God that brought me here will help me meet my present task and by the will of the Almighty Allah, I should be able to cope and show the citizens that the man that sent me here did not make mistake.  True, Lagos is a peculiar zone for every police officer; but the good thing is that I have been here before and him, the IGP bringing me back for a higher note is something that should ginger me to perform.

Again, the IGP and the government of the day in Lagos state have done so well for the police that we have almost everything we need.  Logistics have been provided and personnel are being motivated.

Expected spectacular crime control measures

On assumption of duty,  I made it mandatory for every Divisional Police Officers,  DPOs, to always remain in their offices till 12 midnight after which I, the Deputy Commissioners in charge of operations, DCP Ops,  and the Assistant Commissioners,  ACP Ops, would go round  on routine checks to ensure compliance.

After that, a most senior officer in the station will take over from the DPO while he goes home and resumes before 6.00am. . The essence of this is that at every point in time, somebody should be available in every police station  to take control and to be talked with in case of emergency.

Again, I intend to divide SARS into teams.  Each team will take charge of the respective responsibilities; and it has been achieving results.  Just yesterday, robbers attempted to rob a resident in Maroko but a call got to the police there.

In less than five minutes my men were there.   Though none of them was arrested but they abandoned all they had stolen and ran away when they saw our prompt response.   We have identified ‘black-spots’ and there is going to be constant raids.

We have started with Ikoyi, the abandoned quarters there;  we are told people who bought lands have not been able to develop them and therefore, some men of the under world have decided to turn these properties into criminal hideout.  We have started raiding those places.

We discovered that some abandoned property in Ikoyi and Apapa have been turned into criminal hideout.  We did same in Apapa and we were able to arrest 84 suspects and on careful investigations, all of them are indigenes of Niger Republic and we have forwarded their names to the immigration for necessary action.

So, these are some of the measures we have put in place.  As you are aware of the IG’ s directives on road block; those road blocks have been moved away and dismantled and they remain so forever.  In Lagos state, we are not going to allow any policeman to mount road block for any reason.

And we have been able to replace them with motorized patrol which we will constantly supervise and by the grace of Allah, with all these measures put in place, Lagosians should be able to sleep with their two eyes closed.

Checking excesses of the police

Incivility to members of the public is an offence in our list.  Every policeman in Lagos has been told through their officers that we cannot tolerate unnecessary use of fire arms; any policeman who shoots anybody does that at his own risk.   The laws are there and we will apply them the way they are.

Torture and all other vices of that nature are not going to be tolerated by me for the period I am going to remain as the CP Lagos state.   Our officers have been encouraged to desist from the use of force.  By this present administration, I have made it abundantly clear to my officers that you do not need to torture anybody if you are a professional before you get what you want.

Any policeman who goes out of his way to do things that are not known to us will suffer the consequences.  The laws are there, the rules are there and we will apply them accordingly.

Monitoring DPOs

When I came on board, I called my DPOs and Area Commanders on the need to ensure quality service delivery to the citizens of Lagos and again, you know this can only be achieved through collaboration with members of the public.

Every Area Commander and DPO should paste their telephone numbers conspicuously on the wall of the charge rooms to allow members of the public who are dissatisfied to promptly call them.  I want to assure you that in a short while, Lagos state will witness a new dawn in policing.

Partnering with other security agencies in the state

Well, may be, from next week, I would start going round to see other security agencies in the state to familiarize with them.  But   I have always told people whether you are in the Police, Army, Navy etc, the objective is to ensure  that our society is in peace.

I want to say that internal security is a sure mandate of the Nigeria Police but other security outfits should be able to collaborate  with us so that together, we should be able to to make things work.  Other places where I have worked before, I tried as much as possible to reach out to my colleagues in sister agencies and we interacted officially and unofficially and I intend to do same here.

Already, I have met with the Brigade commander, 9 Brigade.  So far, so good, I think by the time we settled down, we should be able to work together in unity to ensure the safety of lives and property.

In the area of traffic control

When the IGP came on board, in his maiden address to us,  he warned all command CP’s that traffic policemen should remain on duty until 10.00pm because that is what is in our law.  In other places where I had worked, I implemented that to the letter and here too, I intend to enforce that law.

Our traffic policemen  will remain at their duty post until 22 00 hrs  as directed by the IGP.  Fortunately, I have a woman police here as the state traffic officer, a very,  very vibrant woman, a woman that is dedicated to her job; with her and the assistance from LASTMA and other traffic units, including the FRSC; we will collaborate to ensure that traffic situation improves tremendously.

Restoring public confidence in the police

When I came on board, I called my DPOs and Area Commanders and heads of departments that all of us are here to complement each others’ effort so that collectively, we will be able to deliver quality services to the citizens of Lagos and that we can only do that if we create in the minds of the public that we are here to serve them and that they should be able to look on to us as an organization that is serving them.

Now, the other day that the IGP was around, he emphasized that every Area Commander and DPO’s must print their telephone numbers boldly  at the front of their stations so that any person who have course to visit the station should be able to call on the DPO if such need arises.

I have also circulated my numbers through the media to the citizens so that anybody can call me at any time if there is need to do that also.   I want to assure you that in a short while, Lagos state will witness a new dawn in policing.

Panacea to stoppage of extortion by some policemen

We have a department we call the X-squad. That X-squad is here, but we are going to reposition it because as far as I am concerned, corruption, extortion are negatively affecting policing in Lagos.  I am determined to take on corruption head-long.

Very soon, we will reposition the X-Squad so that the duties prescribed for them in our laws, they should be able to check us, if we are going contrary.  Any policeman caught indulging in corrupt practices will not only be  tried and dismissed but will be prosecuted for the period I am going to serve in Lagos state.

But I also want to say that corruption is a two-way traffic, those who offer police money or offer bribe to policemen; if they are arrested and proven, I will not hesitate to prosecute them.  Because if you accuse me of taking bribe, why must you offer me bribe?

So, for those who give and those who take,  my idea is that…I am not a lawyer  but they are equally guilty of the same crime. They are liable and therefore, they should face the same punishment.  And that is what we are going to do.

Collaborative efforts with colleagues in other strategic formations

Like you said, they are my colleagues and we all have the same mandate to ensure that people go about their lawful businesses.  So, we are going to encourage inter-personal relation to ensure unity of purpose  so that if there is any issue, we call them around; luckily, we also have an AIG here who will be able to give us fatherly advise in any issue.  Because what I am trying to do is that, in essence, we will collaborate with all the outfits so that we would be able to achieve the same objectives.

Complaints against large number of foreigners in the state

Well,  if you remember, I told you that we have started raiding and in Apapa alone, we were able to arrest 84 nationals of Niger Republic, and we are not going to stop there.  It is going to be a continuous exercise.  We continue to raid those who are in the state illegally and send them to the appropriate quarters for necessary action.

So far, like I said, we have started with Ikoyi and Apapa and we are going to collaborate with immigration to see that this trend of illegal immigrants’ entering the country does not continue.

Legacy

Well, I would like to be remembered for being here, doing the best I could and probably, leaving the place better than I met it.

Profile of Umar Abubakar Manko, CP Lagos

I was born on June 14,  1958, in Bida Local Government of Niger State. My father came from the house of   King Maktarba while my mother’s name is Fatimah Sulaiman, she is from one of the well learned families in Bida, that is from Mallam Zakhari who is an Islamic scholar.

I went to Bida  District Primary School, later I went to Daina city Primary School.  I went to Government College Bida for my secondary education. And I went to University of Sokoto, now Uthman Danfodio University where I graduated with a B.Sc in Sociology in 1983.

I joined the Police as a Cadet Assistant Superintended of Police,  ASP, in December 1984.  . And by special grace of God, I grew through the ranks. I was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police on December 15, 2006. In the course of my career, I had  worked in so many places.

I was an instructor and lecturer  in Police Academy, Kano. I also came to Lagos State in 1992 while I served as a Divisional Police Officer in Alausa, Isokoko and Ojo Police Stations. I  worked as Area Crime Officer in Area ‘H’,Ogudu.

I served as a Staff Officer Senior in Police Headquarter, Ikeja. I was at one time Officer in- charge, General Investigation Department, popularly called GID, where I finally left Lagos State in 1998. I also served in Plateau, Edo as a Zonal Officer, as an Assistant Commissioner of Police; I was one time at the railway, Area Command in Zamfara.

I was an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Administration, FCID Abuja; . one time, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Zonal Investigation in Sokoto. I served as 21C in Zamfara and Kebbi commands.  On my promotion as a Commissioner of Police, I went to the Police Academy as a Commissioner of Police, Administration, then to Airport Command as  CP Airport.

I had been to about three  commands as a  Commissioner of Police in states like Kano,  Sokoto and Edo where I am just coming after my handing over.  And by the special grace of God, I am here in Lagos State as a Commissioner of Police.