SaharaReporters learnt from top sources that Buhari was unwilling to stand for the long period of time at the parade so he sent the Minister of Police Affairs to represent him.
President Muhammadu Buhari did not attend the passing-out parade of 418 cadets of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State, despite the fact that they had postponed the event several times because of him.
SaharaReporters learnt from top sources that Buhari was unwilling to stand for the long period of time at the parade so he sent the Minister of Police Affairs to represent him.
The police parade finally held on Tuesday after SaharaReporters had on June 9 exclusively reported that there was tension at the academy as the police authorities led by the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, failed to pass out 418 cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police.
SaharaReporters had reported that the cadets had been enrolled since December 2015 and after spending the statutory five years, they were supposed to leave in December 2020 but the authorities kept bringing up excuses.
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On Tuesday, a top source said the postponement was partly to ensure Buhari attended the event.
“He was in the end represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi. Buhari can’t stand for the period of the parade. They had postponed several times because of Buhari," the source said.
SaharaReporters had been told last week that the inefficiency at the NPF Academy stalled the passing-out of the cadet ASPs amidst the shortage of policemen to quell the insecurity in the country.
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Some of the cadets had told SaharaReporters that life was no longer meaningful in the academy where they had no freedom, fed with substandard meals and denied access to their families.
One of them had said, “What is bewildering is the fact that we, the Cadet ASPs Regular Course Three, were admitted in December 2015 for five academic years which terminated in December 2020. For six months now, we have been doing nothing in the academy.
“I know at least six cadets who have lost their parents this year and were not able to give their last respect due to the restrictions around here. The police authorities have refused to organise our passing-out despite the coming of a new Inspector General of Police.”
“It is not so for our colleagues in the National Defence Academy. At a time our nation is confronted with many threats occasioned by security challenges experiencing across all parts of the country, and most importantly, the fact that the current management of the force has confessed that the Nigeria Police force presently is understaffed and therefore confronted with inadequate manpower, why are we still here?” another cadet had queried.
SaharaReporters had also reported that the academy was presently screening the Regular Course 8 despite not passing out the Course 3, which was giving the cadets a lot of worry.