Police Council confirms Usman Alkali Baba as Inspector General of Police

The Police Council has confirmed Usman Alkali Baba as the substantive Inspector General of Police, almost two months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved his appointment in an acting capacity.

Usman Alkali Baba was confirmed on Friday, during a meeting of the Police Council in Abuja presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

This disclosure was made by the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, on Friday, June 4, 2021, while briefing state house correspondents at the end of the meeting, saying that the appointment of Usman Baba was unanimously confirmed.

Dingyadi was said to have quoted the president as urging the new IGP to justify the confidence reposed on him by reducing the rising wave of insecurity in the country.

It was earlier reported that the meeting had been earlier scheduled for last week but postponed to honour the late Chief of Army Staff and 10 other military officers who died in a plane crash on May 21.

Those present include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the Chief of staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

Others are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno; Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Musiliu Smith; Ministers of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi.

The Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, was also physically present at the event but his counterpart, the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, and the Minister of FCT, Mohammed Bello joined virtually.

The Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi had on April 6 announced that President Buhari had approved the appointment of Alkali as acting Inspector General of Police as the replacement for Mohammed Adamu.

Before his new role, Usman Baba, the Yobe-born police chief was the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters in Abuja.

However, the IGP’s appointment comes amid heightened tension in several parts of the country, particularly in the southeast region where assaults on security formations and other public facilities have been raging.