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ssistant Inspector General of Police (AIG ) Garba Baba Umar was recently elected Vice President (Africa) and Executive Committee member of the International Criminal Police Organisation (ICPO) or INTERPOL. Police Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, who disclosed this in a statement, said Umar, who heads INTERPOL’s national central bureau (NCB) in Nigeria, was elected in the early hours of Friday in Turkey. He was elected at the 89th INTERPOL General Assembly held at the Halic Congress Hall, Istanbul.
Nigeria’s delegation to the 89th INTERPOL General Assembly was led by the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi. Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (represented by the Naval Provost Marshal) also attended.
The 2021 General Assembly, which has in attendance 470 police chiefs, ministers and senior law enforcement officials from the 195 INTERPOL member countries, seeks to identify areas where the organisation can reinforce the global security architecture and enhance collaboration against national and transnational crimes.
AIG Garba, described as one of Nigeria’s finest criminal investigators and professional strategic police manager, has over 30 years of policing experience both at national and international levels. In the election he polled the highest number of votes.
With this appointment, which will span three years, Garba is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear in coordinating INTERPOL operations targeted at ensuring a safer world for people and communities across the African continent. This is in addition to drawing international policing support and cooperation towards advancing public safety and security, protecting the cyber space and generally addressing challenges faced by law enforcement officers and policing managers in the continent.
No doubt, by his victory, Garba has done Nigeria a great deal of good. It is a bright sliver lining slicing through the doom cast over the nation by banditry, kidnappings and wanton killings. He joins the elite league of Nigerians who have caught the eyes of the outside world that rarely sees anything good coming from Nigeria. It is instructive that these “good things” are happening under the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari.
Described as one of Nigeria’s “finest” crime fighters, the weight of responsibility put on his shoulders is enormous. However, we are convinced, as are millions of his good compatriots, he will be equal to this big and difficult task. We wish him the best of luck in what he will do in Nigeria and on his additional job at the INTERPOL going forward.
