He served in the Interpol Headquarters in Lyon, France as a specialized officer in Economic and Financial Crime directorate, where he rose to become the first black African to be the Assistant Director in the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France. He later became the Vice-President of Interpol.
It is now official: Mohammed Abubakar Adamu is Nigeria’s new Inspector-General of Police (IGP). Born on September 17, 1961 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Adamu is fondly called ‘Lafia’ — the capital of Nasarawa State — by his intimate friends.
Education And Early Career
Adamu started his primary education in 1968 at Dunama Primary School, Lafia, and finished in 1974. He proceeded to Government Secondary school, Obi, in Nasarawa State in 1975, and obtained his West Africa School Certificate(WASC) in 1979. While awaiting admission into a tertiary institution, he attended School of Basic Studies at Ahmadu Bello University for a pre-degree programme. He was offered full admission into the same university in 1980, and he graduated with Bsc (Hons) in Geography in 1983.
After completing of his tertiary education, he did his compulsory one-year national service at Government Teachers College, Wamba — formerly in Plateau State but now in Nasarawa — where he taught Geography. Immediately after the national service, he gave full-time teaching a try. He was employed as Geography tutor at Government Day Secondary school, Gunduma, Keffi, Plateau State, in 1984 and within a period of two years he was promoted to the post of Vice Principal of the school. He left teaching for the Nigeria Police Force in 1986.
Police Career
He joined the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1986 and trained at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos. After being fully commissioned, he had his baptism of fire as a ‘fledgling’ when he was posted to Imo State to work as the Divisional Crime and Administrative Officer at the Mgbidi Police Station, Mgbidi, Imo State. Between 1988 and 1989, he served as the officer in charge of general investigation at the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Zone 6, Headquarters, Calabar, Cross River State.
In 1990, he was transferred back to Lagos to serve as detective for about seven years at the fearful but legendary Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos. Together with a team that comprised the cream of the profession, they dispassionately resolved many criminal cases. He became the Director, Peacekeeping and Training NPF Headquarters Abuja, FCT.
Adamu became the Deputy commissioner of Police (DCP) in Ekiti State in 2010. He was transferred to Kaduna to serve in the same capacity in 2012. In 2014, he moved a rung higher on the professional ladder of the Police Force and became the Enugu State Commissioner of Police. He assumed the exalted office in the one of the biggest cities in the south-east at a time when kidnapping and other heinous crimes were rife. However, through the strategy of collaboration and neighbourhood watch he was able to, to a very large extent, stem the tide of kidnapping and other dastardly acts in the state.
However, what would have been a remarkable tenure as a Commissioner in the state was marred by the grisly murder of a boy, named Chinedu Nnaji, by his men. The killing occurred as a consequence of a land dispute between the Umuneshi and Umunewu-Ukwu communities of the state.
Chinedu’s death led to a legal tussle in which ‘Lafia’ and his men were alleged to have been paid by prominent and influential sons of the rival community in the land dispute to pervert the course of justice. The rival community felt that Adamu and his men deliberately released the suspects in their nest. But Adamu cleared the air on the matter during an interview in the build-up to the 2015 general elections. “The false accusation against me of murder is just to tarnish my reputation,” he said.
As if that was not enough, his name was also mentioned in the face-off between the then outgoing Governor Sullivan Chime and the faction of 15 lawmakers led by Speaker, Honourable Eugene Odo. Hon. Odo alleged that the Governor was using the Commissioner of Police against him. The Honourable speaker believed Adamu, on the orders of Governor Chime, was responsible for the withdrawal of security personnel attached to him.
After successfully completing his course at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, he was made the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 5 Benin. The Zone 5 comprises Bayelsa, Delta and Edo state commands. He served in the Interpol Headquarters in Lyon, France as a specialized officer in Economic and Financial Crime directorate, where he rose to become the first black African to be the Assistant Director in the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France. He later became the Vice-President of Interpol.
Abubakar, married and blessed with children, was awarded the most outstanding community policing command/commissioner of police in Dubai, in 2014.