By Emma NNADOZIE,
Crime Editor
It was just like another day for police officers and men at the Loius Edet House, Force Headquarters in Abuja when Ogbonna Onovo, the Inspector_General of Police drove into the gigantic edifice.

Salutations over, he proceeded straight to his 7th floor office where he, as usual, started attending to numerous visitors from all the parts of the country and beyond. Yours sincerely was one of the visitors waiting anxiously to see the number one Police man in Nigeria. In fact, activities at the police headquarters is always at its peak immediately after the arrival of the Inspector_General of Police.

Significantly, aids to Ogbonna Onovo were overheard discussing a business trip to China with some Chinese business men. While the discussions were going on, many other visitors were coming in droves all , with different problems. Specifically, this reporter was inside the main office of the police boss when a Lagos_ based business man came crying that some land speculators invaded his terminal at Amuwo_Odofin, Lagos with heavily armed Mobile Policemen and sealed up the place.

He ran to Abuja to plead with the IGP to rescue him from the lawless land speculators. After this complaint, the Police boss quickly got in touch with the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of the zone, Azubuko Udah, who vehemently expressed his shock over the illegal occupation of the terminal.

In what may turn out later to be one of his last directives as an Inspector-General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo swiftly directed that all the Mobile Police Officers involved in the invasion of the terminal should be rounded up and brought to Abuja. This reporter was then ready to take Onovo up on various burning national issues including recent order by a court for his arrest.

The amiable police boss was just about telling us to ‘shoot’ when the presence of a Special Assistant to President Jonathan was announced by his personal assistant, Enyinna. Few minutes later after he received the special assistant from the Presidency, he announced that he was going to see the President at Aso_Rock. He told this reporter to come back by 3pm for a detailed interview little knowing that it will be his last minute in the office as the Inspector_General of Police.

While this reporter took solace in relaxing in an adjoining office to wait for the appointment, news started filtering out that he has been removed as the IGP. It was then shocking to see the same man who was resplendent in his fitting blue police uniform, return back to office in private car and civilian garbs few hours later.

That was when we all knew that the burble had burst. He alighted from the private car and proceeded straight to his 7th floor office without the usual compliments from his men. As soon as he arrived, words went round, confirming news of his removal.

The mood at the headquarters was an admixture of sadness and joy. While his personal aids and that of other officers affected by the shake_up were wearing long faces, some other policemen were in jubilant mood. Specifically, Inspectors and other rank and file were visibly in joyous mood bemoaning what they tagged, ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’.

Some of them that spoke secretly to Vanguard said it was the prayers they said to God over the way the outgoing police boss treated their promotion that resulted in his inglorious removal from office. One of them at the 1st floor unequivocally told this reporter that he has been drinking with his colleagues after hearing the news.

Their grouse against the regime of Onovo was that he did not approve the promotion of police Inspectors to the next rank and they feel he deliberately did that. So, to them, their prayers have been answered by Almighty God.
Surprisingly, security was fairly relaxed unlike when other IGP’s were removed from office in the past. Both officers and the rank and file were seen discussing in hushed tones. Work evidently remained at a stand still.

Dejection was boldly written on the faces of members of his escort team who were seen reclining inside their vehicles.

Attempts made to see the outgoing police boss again failed as his aids said he was busy preparing his handover notes. Of course, one could easily conclude that he was not in the mood to attend to any visitor, talk more of a reporter in search of news. At the end of the day, that was how the quest for an exclusive interview was dashed.