On Saturday 23rd of Nov. 2013, my invitation to honour and celebrate Imo CP was attended by various personalities who came to Imo State for the official presentation of my book “Crime in Nigeria and the Role of the Police (Mr. Muhammed M. Katsina as a Role Model).The event witnessed the creme of the society as the Chief Executive of Imo State Owelle Rochas Okorocha was in attendance by proxy. The presence of His Excellency Chief Rochas Okorocha and his Deputy has raised serious questions about my relationship with them which only time will answer.
Meanwhile, I wish to thank all those who came to appreciate my intellectual harvest on the Imo commissioner of police a work that has been appreciated by many scholars. I thank all those who came to witness the occasion and to celebrate with us. The Chief Justice of Imo State, Hon. Justice Benjamin Njemanze, Hon. Justice Okoronkwo, Rt.Hon. Emeka Ihedioha the deputy Speaker Federal House of Representative, HRH Eze Emmanuel Njemanze the Ozuruigbo 5 of Owerri, Mr. Muhammed Katsina the Imo commissioner of police, the Inspector General of police to mention a few. From the depth of my heart, I sincerely wish to thank all those who came to witness the occasion and pray God to grant you all success in your entire endeavors.
Every society is dynamic. This dynamism could both be positive or negative, in the negative aspect; dynamism in crime has posed serious challenge to crime fighting. Criminals now have various new strategies that are inter-twined with modern technology to enable them either outsmart or over-power law enforcement agencies.
This challenge occasioned by new trend hitherto employed by criminals should always challenge the law enforcement agencies to embark on modern training which will not only help in meeting with the challenges but would assist them in enhancing tactical proactive measures in combating crimes.
In Nigeria, even a blind person knows that security is the major challenge facing the administration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan. He is doing his best but it appears his best is not yet enough to handle the security challenges that obviously speak volume. Mr. President needs to invoke the magic wand of Mr. Muhammed Musa Katsina, the commissioner of police of Imo state and use same to completely overwhelm the criminals that are threatening the unity of the nation Nigeria.
No single Imolite will not sincerely assert that Imo is not totally crime-free per say but has an objective maximum reduction of high-class crimes incidents as experienced in the State before the coming of CP Muhammad Katsina in Imo State.
The sort of peaceful aura in the State today, is the type that encourages foreign investors, our sons and daughters in Diaspora to return home without panicking, free-movement at any point of the day and due confidence of being safe at any time. So many prominent sons and daughters of Imo state who have not been coming home for fear of been kidnapped, have found peace bereft of fear as they come home some weekly and monthly to enjoy the fruits of their labour in their home state due to the effort of the action CP in fighting crimes.
What remains for CP Katsina to do in Imo State today, is to end depravities amidst kinsmen and societal play-gods. Mr. Katsina is a blessing to Nigerian Police Force and to the Nigerian society at large. A man of courage, who likes visiting the scene of crime with his ever-ready ‘Ambush-Squad,’in fact, he has done much as a result deserves promotion. If this country and in fact, the Nigerian Police rewards effort, CP Katsina deserves to be rewarded with double promotion. Courage according to Richter “consists not in blindly overlooking danger, but in seeing and conquering it.” This is exactly what Mr. Katsina has done. How I hate praise-singing but truth as the artist Lefvre said, is like a naked dame put on an elevation in the night, with floodlights all over her. Her nudity is ever unconcealed. Thus, you can only tell a blind that there is no fish in the soup and never that there is no salt.
His security-solutions and achievements in the State are far away from serendipity. They are fruits of a well-informed, well-trained and dedicated field-worker Police leadership in the State. Before assumption of Office, there were high rate of kidnappings in the State, occasioned by bad governance. When the CP came, the kidnapping incidents became highly minimised; and serenity now reigns even in the most tormented communities where the gangsters operated. The Police have seriously changed in terms of extortion because the CP usually detains any one found doing such. It truly amazes people how different kidnapping gangs have been smashed by this Commissioner of Police. The amazing thing in the achievement of these feats is not that the Police did it but that he leads the team himself; a workaholic CP who does not sit in his office and watch his men go to the field, he does it himself.
The spade of kidnapping and killings in Imo State, which rose very high before the CP was transferred to the State gave Mr. Katsina great challenges and he sat sleeplessly in thought, to brainstorm and strategise means of solving the security problems. This thinking (like the abstract image that confronts the art-creator rightly) yielded expertise-solutions that point back to the originator-creativity-instinct, which is his personality and self composition as a distinguished high ranked Police Officer in the country.
The amazing thing CP did for Orodo people was the smashing of a gang of kidnapping operators that have been operating in Orodo. He exceedingly demonstrated his skill as a highly trained Officer of the Nigerian Police Force; his proactive measures in handling issues have distinguished him from other CPs and from his Predecessors, and with the pace he has set, if other successors will follow this step, Imo would be safe.
The people of Oguta LGA can testify to the dexterity with which the CP and his Security Agents in the State handled the crisis and killings that made the ancient city live in fear and societal unrest due to terrorist activities of some miscreant youths in the area. Within 48 Hours, profound peace reigned in that ancient city as if nothing ever happened there. Which manner of man can handle such crisis with swiftness and urgency and with veritable success if not a master strategist, a fieldworker-leader and a well-informed and solution-packed CP as Katsina. The reader will be amazed to hear that the police have now made the work of NDLEA and other security agencies easy because the Imo Commissioner of Police has set no barrier in making sure Imo is free from any form of criminal activity.
Another problem that disturbs the CP is the orthodox bribery that has for ages characterized the Nigerian Police Force. Like a “non-Nigerian Police Officer,” M.M Katsina frowns at bribery and corruption. While discussing with a friend last week about the life and bureaucratic principles of zero bribery with which Musa Katsina is known, Prof. Iwunze never wasted a second to exclaim, “A Police man abhorring bribery in Nigeria? Impossible! It is in their blood, how can the Police circulatory system work?” But that is Katsina for you. Exceptions are rare in cases of traits as he saw it, and it is only with rare gems like Mohammad Musa Katsina and very few others that might convince him that some virtuous Police Officers still work in Nigeria.
It is also his type of personality that should be looked upon as role model even though paragon of excellence in service is absolutely impossible, but Katsina’s Police Force service composition is an imitable personality, whose mindset, ingenuity and swiftness in action-responses is a typical sample for reformation and re-orientation for erring younger officers in the service.
Though Imo has not totally be ridded of the remaining minor crimes in the State, Mr. Katsina in less than eight months has calmed down several upheavals State-wise and restored peace, security and order in menaced societies. One can boldly state that if kidnapping was 100% before, it has been reduced to 90%, and the State is day to day moving on towards a crime-free human society, where lives and properties are well secured.
BY Prof. Nathan Protus Uzorma
