There is pandemonium in Bayelsa State Police Command as the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kingsley Ojukwu Omire, who retired from service effectively on Sunday, April 21, 2013, has refused to hand over, as he has continued to resume in office as usual, THE CITIZEN has learnt.
It was reliably gathered that both the Force Secretary and office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Benin Zonal Command have sent signals respectively to Omire, directing him to hand over to the next in command in the state, and proceed on retirement.
“It is a fact that he has been directed through signals from the Force Headquarters, Abuja and the Benin Zonal Command for him to proceed on his retirement and hand over to the next in command. But what is not clear to us here is why he has continued to resume in the office since he has retired from the Force on April 21, 2013. What he is doing is a bad precedent in the Police Command and it is alien to the Force. It is on heard off that a high ranked officer will refuse to leave office after been retired and nothing has happened,” said a reliable source.
According to the source, Omire was quoted as saying that he will not leave office until a substantive Police Commissioner is posted to the state to take over from him and except that is done, he is not leaving his office.
“Retirement in the force is something everyone longs for and when it comes, it is highly cherished. But Omire has demonstrated that he is above the law which is sending wrong signal to the rank and file. In the force, we take discipline seriously and what he is doing is an aberration and strange in the Police Force. What is his business with who succeeds him in office? That decision should be left for the IGP to take and not him. In all these, what has continued to keep thongs wagging in the Bayelsa State Command is that he has continued to parade himself as the substantive CP, even in retirement and no one is asking questions or even addressing the issue,” he said.
Our correspondent was reliably by a source that Omire has served the Police for 32 years but was very unfortunate to have been cut-up by his age which has attained that mandatory retirement age, adding that the retired CP appears to be very unhappy with the development and that explains why he has continued to remain in the office instead of resting in his home.
“Many people who have heard about the story are insinuating that it appears there is more to it than meets the eyes. Many are saying that could be he has some unfinished business, otherwise there is no explanation to justify why someone who should be in his home, planning a thanks giving for a meritorious services in the Police will still be coming to work, when indeed he should have graciously handed over and move on with his life,” he said.
When contacted, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mbah stated that it is true that CP Omire had actually retired on April 21, 2013 but there are a few administrative issues which are yet to be sorted out at the Headquarters and Zonal Command. “Yes Omire has actually retired from the force but a few administrative issues are been sorted out and I can assure you that in the next couple of weeks to come, all these will be over,” he said.
Nevertheless, according to a retired senior Police officer who preferred to remain anonymous, the excuse of Administrative bottleneck in the case of a retired officer who has continued to occupy his office is not tenable in the Force and wonders why the IGP is condoning such attitude. He said that even if appointment or redeployment of a new CP is in the offing, the retired officer should vacate office and hand over to the next in command, pending when the new appointment is made.
“I really doubt if the IGP is aware of this because he is a no nonsense man. He does not tolerate indiscipline and this one clearly negates the principle of retirement in the force. Throughout my service years, I have never heard that a retired officer refused to go. It is a thing of joy and what everyone is looking up to. This Omire’s case is an exception,” he said.
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