10/08/2025
“HOW I WAS ARRESTED AS COMMISSIONER OF POLICE” – MD ABUBAKAR
When I served as the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, I took my job seriously — especially on Saturdays.
My duty hours usually started at 10 a.m., but on one particular Saturday, I woke up at 6 a.m. for an unannounced inspection.
I got into my Jeep and headed towards the office. Along the way, I decided to make a surprise stop at a checkpoint on Herbert Macaulay Road to observe how officers were working.
A young constable flagged me down and, with a straight face, asked:
“Young man, where are you going with your father’s car?”
He demanded my vehicle documents and driver’s licence. I told him my name was Mohammed. He insisted on seeing my ID card. I asked him to first show me his — but he had none. Instead, he called for his sergeant.
The sergeant arrived and repeated the request. I gave him the same answer: “Show me yours first.”
They decided I was being stubborn and said we should go to Yaba Police Station (Panti) to “find out who I was.”
At the station, there was no parking except for the DPO’s reserved space. I parked there without a word, which irritated the constable.
Inside, they took me to an ASP (Assistant Superintendent of Police) — who, to my shock, was wearing shorts! He asked me to come in for questioning. I refused, telling him no officer in home clothes could interrogate me. He got angry and pulled me inside; I pulled him right back.
Then he looked closely at my face. His eyes widened.
At that moment, an elderly man at the station sneaked into the DPO’s office to check the wall where the photographs of police commanders were hung. When he confirmed it was me, he quietly jumped out of the window and fled.
The sergeant was still confused until another officer whispered to him:
“This is the Commissioner of Police!”
In panic, even the ASP in shorts followed the same route — through the window — and ran!
Shortly after, the Area Commander called to inform me the DPO, ASP, and all officers involved had been detained, awaiting my decision.
What troubled me most wasn’t their attempt to arrest me — it was the glaring lack of discipline, training, and professionalism.
How can an officer work without an ID card yet arrest citizens?
How can an ASP handle official duties in casual clothes?
That day reinforced what I’ve always believed: Leadership is not about staying in an office. You must go out, see things for yourself, and ensure truth, discipline, and justice are upheld at every level.
