Uproar As Dambazzau Appoints Northerners To Heads All Agencies In Interior Ministry

Against the principle of federal character in the country, Minister of Interior Gen. Abdurahaman Dambazzau has appointed his kins men from the north to head all the para-military agencies under his ministry.


The appointments are therefore, generating reactions from the stakeholders in the ministry who are seem not comfortable with the decision of Gen. Dambazzau.

The four agencies are the Nigeria Immigration service (NIS) with Mohammed Babandede, who hails from Kano state where the minister comes from appointed the Comptroller General. The Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) with Ahmed Ja’afaru, who hails from Bauch state as the Controller-General.

Before now, Comptroller General Abdullahi Gana from Niger state, has been the head of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence (NSCDC) while Controller General of Federal Fire Service (FFS) Eng. Anebi hails from Benue state in the North-central is the head of the agency.

Before the appointment of Ahmed Ja’afaru in Nigeria Prisons, the recently retired CG, Dr Peter Ezenwa Ekpendu, had handed over to a Yoruba man, Babatunde, but the Minister turned down the arrangement an Assistant Controller General Ja’afaru.

It was however, gathered that national headquarters and formations across the country of NPS were thrown into mourning immediately the news got to them on the appointment of Ja’afaru as CG.

Some of the officers who spoke with newsmen that visited the headquarters for reaction, confided them that “Ja’afaru’s appointment was a total surprise to everybody. This is a man who stood on our promotions for fourteen years as officer in charge of administration.”

At the Nigeria Immigration Service, it was gathered that the interior minister engineered Martin Kure Abeshi’s compulsory retirement despite the grace of an extension of service given him by the federal government under President Goodluck Jonathan, to create space for his preferred candidate Mohammed Babandede.

One of NIS top officers, however, revealed that the new CG, who had wanted to be one since the days former interior minister Comrade Abba Moro, had all the security reports working against him