• How deadly thugs were recruited as police informants in Kano
From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
When Muhammad Usaini Gumel assumed office on May 2, 2023, as Commissioner of Police, Kano State, he came to a state under the siege of thugs, hoodlums and other social misfits. There were daily reports of injuries, loss of properties and deaths arising from these tendencies that wrestled the state to a fall.
In the face of these challenges, he adopted a social policing model, which sought to reform and better the criminals rather than outright war against them. He invited the thugs and urged them to surrender themselves and their weapons to the police in return for amnesty.
It worked. In August, Gumel told his media audience that at the end of the 100 days window extended to the criminals, which coincided with his first 100 days in office, 100 criminals dropped their arms while non- repentant ones fled.
He had placed a bounty of N100,000 each on the three of the most dreaded thugs in the state: “One of the three criminals surrendered himself to the police. He said he did not want me to waste my N100,000. He admitted to the allegations against him and stressed that he had been looking for an opportunity to turn away from crime, to become a responsible citizen.
“We have placed him on observation and he is now working with the police to track down Yan Daba (thugs). We are still working on how to get the remaining two arrested. We will surely get them arrested and parade them before the public.”
The number of criminals and thugs willing to repent had gone up from 100 to 222. Excited, government generously granted them amnesty after undergoing reformatory programme. About 172 of them opted for life careers and ventures at the completion of different acquisition skills, 50 volunteered to work with the police to fight crime and dislodge criminals in the society.
Gumel said: “Among these influential youths (thugs) is a total of 50 with 10 each from Kano Municipal, Dala, Gwale, Kumbotso and Tarauni LGs, who offered themselves to serve as Special Police Constabulary.
“They have since been adequately trained, kitted and from today, will commence work in their respective local governments of origin under police supervision for the promotion of sustainable peace, economic growth and development of the state.
“The others have also been profiled by the command. Their details have since been forwarded to the state government for life-changing programmes.
“I urge these influential youths to remain steadfast in their commitment to this positive change, knowing fully that government, community stakeholders and police will ever stand behind them in this journey of healing, transformation and peace-building.”
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf disclosed: “From the day they repented, they had been subjected to various reformatory processes, classroom lectures for psychology and other aspects of human behaviourism. We have made plans for their empowerment through skills acquisition and education.
“A total of 50 Special Constabulary volunteers who were selected from crime prime LGAs of Fagge, Gwale, Dala, Nassarawa and Municipal were trained while the remaining one, 172 of them have chosen to join some skills acquisition programmes.
“Forgiveness at times is the only way to restore offenders and victims’ confidence.” He assured them that his administration was committed to supporting them financially
Despite the fanfare that attended the hangout ceremony, and the political rhetoric that spiced it all, it was the criticisms and public angst that stole the shine of the day. Residents were apprehensive. They were opposed to this model of community policing, saying granting amnesty and subsequently recruiting thugs as special constabularies tend to advertise to the world that crime pays.
Others said the public display of their recruitment and transition to higher social class and ranking was gravely insensitive to the pains, injuries and agonies of their victims, some of whom were yet to be healed from the pains of their wickedness.
Daily Sun gathered that public objection to the recruitment grew to its height after one Nasiru Abdullahi, on whose head a N100,000 bounty was placed a few months ago, was spotted in his constabulary volunteer uniform, flanked by a senior police officer in the state. He was smiling to an injured public.
A concerned resident said: “You don’t declare a N100,000 bounty on the head of a thug except he is such a great threat to the society.” Usamn Bebeji a commercial tricycle operator, exclaimed: “Yan Dabas have become officers of law in Kano, we are finished!”
Even among security experts, who pleaded not to be mentioned, the decision to recruit repentant thugs as special constabularies was not well thought out and unfashionable.
They argued that from their privileged proximity to the police system, the repentant thugs could constitute a threat security management or to then lives of security officers.
“Just as they could serve as informants against their old Yan Daba colleagues, they could tomorrow relapse, without notice, and begin to serve as informants against police officers close to them. We have seen cases where criminals repent and return to crime.
“The present insecurity in the North also does not support any amnesty and subsequent recruitment of persons who were once established as criminals.”
Gumel reacted: “Governor Yusuf who gave them amnesty, directed us to profile them and find out where they can fit in for skills acquisition and human empowerment.
“Out of the 222 influential youths (repentant thugs), 50 of them volunteered to help the police in fighting crime and criminal activities in the state. Nasiru Abdullahi was one of them.
“It is very unfortunate that some people are bent on tarnishing the image and reputation of the Nigeria Police, but they will not succeed. The public should continue to have confidence in the commitment of the state police command to keep protecting lives and property.”
