•Prepares Suley for CGP post
•Boko Haram connection in Metuh’s handcuffing
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Acting News Editor
Fifty three officers in the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) promoted in the last days of Abba Moro as interior minister have been stripped of their ranks.
They are mainly Idoma, kinsmen of Moro, some of whom were given triple promotions at a go.
A statement signed by the Director/Secretary of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board, A. A. Ibrahim, faulted the promotions as being in conflict with due process in the public service.
Mixed feeling has enveloped the headquarters of the NPS over the fate that had befallen the 53 officers depending on the side the sympathisers belong.
Petitions committee
The board set up a committee to hear the petitions of those with genuine grievances.
A source alleged that many of the officers were not qualified for the ranks they were promoted to, and “others were given three ranks ahead of their present ranks making nonsense of para military discipline.”
From his assumption of office in 2011 to the end of his tenure on May 29, 2015, Moro allegedly relied on nepotism in the employment and promotion of staff in the ministry.
The Interior Ministry has supervisory role over Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration, and Prisons Service.
Moro’s tenure
Moro’s alleged penchant for recruiting and promoting only those from his ethnic stock allegedly led to a fight between him and former Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI), Rose Uzoma, until she was ousted in January 2013.
“The woman had complained to those close to her that the powers that be were literarily forcing her to engage a lot of people from a particular ethnic nationality in the Immigration Service, shortly before she was shown the way out,” said the source, who did not want his name in print.
“Go to the Ministry of Interior and you will think you are in an Idoma village. This is the result of so many middle aged Idoma villagers employed by Moro and dumped in the ministry doing nothing, at the expense of younger and able-bodied Nigerians looking for work.
“In fact, Abba Moro has destroyed the paramilitary services in the Interior Ministry through corruption and nepotism. What is manifesting in the Prisons is a product of his destructive and stagnant leadership in the ministry.”
A day of reconning came recently when the Federal Government after directing a revisit of the said promotion allegedly induced by Moro, ordered that the promotion of the affected officers be reversed.
Suley warming up
Recalled Prisons Deputy Controller General (DCG), Aminu Suley, who was retired a year ago to pave the way for the appointment of Peter Ekpendu as CGP, has resumed work as head Prisons Medical Corps.
TheNiche reported exclusively on December 20, 2015 that more than one year after Suley was retired after serving briefly as acting CGP between August and December 2014, the government recalled him under unclear circumstances.
His second coming is interpreted in Prisons circles as a plot by Abuja to sack Ekpendu, and replace him with Suley, the next man in the ranking order.
The NPS is under the Ministry of Interior headed by Abdulrahman Dambazau, former chief of army staff.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption is expected to send many politicians to prison. Suley may be part of Buhari’s anti-corruption squad since the prisons would play a critical role.
Sources in the office of the head of service of the federation said Suley’s recall is invalid because he is due for retirement, having been in the rank of DCG for eight years.
“This is the mandatory years for the retirement of directors and permanent secretaries who have stayed eight years in one rank, according to the new public service rules.
“People are now watching to see if the Buhari administration will also go against this law to keep Aminu Suley in the job,” the source said.
However, another source countered, saying: “Does Buhari, a ‘Hausa/Fulani’ care? Have you not seen what he has done in almost all the key Federal Governmant offices, deploying those from his area?
Boko Haram connection in Metuh’s handcuffing
The NPS claimed that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, was brought to court in handcuffs on January 18 because of security concerns along the route of movement and the court premises.
On January 21, the LEADERSHIP quoted NPS Spokesman, Francis Enobore, as saying that the decision was in the interest of Metuh.
“The idea of handcuffing a criminal suspect from the prisons to court is a tradition that is as old as prison itself. The officer in-charge of the prison doing the movement of the prisoner or the senior officer in the escort team studies the security situation and takes the most appropriate decision.
“Part of the factors usually considered include the disposition of the prisoner, security concerns along the route of movement, around the court premises, mood of the relations or friends of the inmate, the general security situation in the country, the intelligence available to the officer in-charge, and host of others.
TheNiche learnt from a top official at Kuje Prison that Metuh was handcuffed because of intelligence that Boko Haram planned an attack along the route of movement to prison.
He did not explain how the handcuff was supposed to be in the interest of Metuh, and why Boko Haram would target him.
Warning shot to critics
In its reaction, the PDP alleged that Metuh’s arraignment was one of the moves of the government led by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to subjugate the opposition party.
PDP National Secretary, Wale Oladipo, said: “The question remains, if not to mortify, dehumanise and break Metuh, who has been very vocal against the APC administration, and of course, to send a signal to others critical of the government.
“What else would have informed the decision to produce him in court in handcuffs, even when his case does not border on security threat?
“Is this an attempt to sway the court and ambush the judicial process against our national publicity secretary, all because of his stance against observed ineptitude and dictatorial tendencies of this administration?
“The PDP invites all Nigerians and the international community to note the emerging barefaced abuse of state power and violation of constitutional provisions regarding the arrest, detention and eventual arraignment of our spokesperson.”