…bares it all on challenges facing the police, exposed institutional Cabals in the nation
*’Everywhere there is injustice, there is no progress. A lot of things are happening in the Nigerian police, which are not in public view’
*’During my six-month tenure as a D.P.O. in Lagos, I was given 60,000 Naira for vehicle maintenance and fueling. There was no provision for fuel, no provision for servicing the vehicle’
*’They will allocate billions for police kits, only little funds come at the end’
*’I was removed from Force C.I.D. in Kaduna for fighting injustice way back then from the Force Headquarters. I received no query and no explanation’
*PLUS: The chilling story of a 15-year-old court case quietly withdrawn without his knowledge, and why he says money acquired through injustice destroys the foundation meant to preserve
HE enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force on May 16, 1992, as a young graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Maiduguri. He spent the last thirty-four years fighting for his belief, a seven-lettered word called ‘justice’.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Zango Ibrahim Baba, born in Jimeta, Adamawa State, and hailing from Mayo Belwa Local Government Area, is the kind of officer that institutional systems find indispensable and hardworking.
Indispensable, because his record speaks for itself across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Hardworking since he is a workaholic who fixes his eyes in leading by example as a shining star and correcting the ills among the rank and file in the Police Force.
His career reads like a map of the country’s most complex and contested spaces. He has no single scandal attached to his sterling law enforcement leadership. After training at the Nigeria Police College, Kaduna, he was posted to Kwara State as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1993. His career then moved through Osun State, where he served as Deputy Police Officer, D.P.O. Ipetumodu, D.P.O. Ilesha, and Unit Commander of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) in Osogbo, including special duty during the Ife/Modakeke communal crisis. He was dispatched to Ondo State during the Owo chieftaincy crisis, to Plateau State during the ethnic and religious crisis, and to Calabar, Cross River State, during another communal emergency. And by wisdom all the crises quelled.
He rose to Second-in-Command and Squadron Commander of 9 PMF, Kano State, transferred to Taraba State in the same capacity, and was elevated to Squadron Leader of 40 PMF in Jalingo. Returning to conventional policing, he served in Bauchi State before being sent to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as second-in-command for pipeline security. Then came Borno State, the most testing terrain of all, where he served as D.P.O. Bulabulin, Second-in-Command of the Maiduguri Metropolitan Area Command, and DPO Jere. In Yobe State, he served as D.P.O. across seven stations: Babban Gari, Tamua, Gashua, Geidam, Damagum, Potiskum, and Gujba.
Then came Lagos State, where he would spend seventeen landmark years. He served as D.P.O. Bode Thomas, D.P.O. Alakara, D.P.O. Shagamu, D.P.O. FESTAC; D.P.O. Okokomaiko, Officer Commanding Provost at Lagos State Command, and D.P.O. Oworonsoki.
Upon promotion to Assistant Commissioner of Police, A.S.P., he served as Area Commander, Area H, Ogudu. He was posted to Force Headquarters, Abuja. As ACP Welfare, he was later promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Police and posted to the Special Fraud Unit, Alagbon, Lagos State where he rose to Commissioner of Police in charge of Homicide. He subsequently served at Force CID Headquarters, then as Commissioner of Police, CP Administration, Area 10, Abuja. Upon promotion to Assistant Inspector-General, A.I.G., he headed the Investment Department, served at FCID Annex, Kaduna, and returned to Force Headquarters at the Logistics and Supply Department.
On March 6, 2026, the Police Service Commission promoted Zango Ibrahim Baba to Deputy Inspector-General of Police, D.I.G., being one of seven AIGs elevated in a merit-based exercise at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, grounded in seniority, written examination, and oral interview. IGP Olatunji Disu subsequently decorated the new DIGs and assigned DIG Zango Ibrahim Baba to head the Department of Research and Planning, Force Headquarters, Abuja, placing him at the intellectual centre of Nigeria’s policing architecture. He is due to retire upon completion of his service.
In this World Exclusive Interview with the Editorial Board of Naija Standard Newspaper Inc USA, DIG Zango Ibrahim Baba speaks as a man with nothing left to lose and everything to say, on corruption, police welfare, the failure of prosecution, procurement abuse, the stranglehold of institutional cabals, and why he has chosen, for thirty-four uncompromising years, to stand on the side of justice; as Reported BY FAVOUR BOLUWATIFE PHILIP/SOUTH WEST CORRESPONDENT, NIGERIA/Naija Standard Newspaper Inc USA
*NAIJA STANDARD: DIG Ibrahim Baba, it is nice seeing you. On March 6, 2026, you were promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police, D.I.G., for your hard work and experience in police operations, administration, and logistics. What ideas have you brought into this enviable position that stands the Nigerian police out in the rest of the world?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: I brought a campaign against injustice. Everywhere there is injustice, there is no progress. A lot of things are happening in the Nigerian police, but because of corruption, they will never see the light of day.
Like the case under my care, regarding a former chairman, we charged the case to court over 15 years ago. To my surprise, they went and withdrew it. The complainant called me and said he went to court and the case was withdrawn. I called the CP. How can a case that was in court for 15 years just be withdrawn like that? I called the OC Legal. He could not give me any tangible answer. I called the prosecutor. These are the things I am fighting. These are the forwarding letters right here on my desk.
*NAIJA STANDARD: This is very serious. As the head of the Department of Research and Planning for the Nigerian police force, how best do you think law enforcement in Nigeria can proactively combat banditry, insecurity, and insurgency across the country?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: The major problem is corruption. When I was DPO in Lagos, in six months they gave you 60,000 Naira for maintaining and fueling vehicle. How can you combat crime with that? If there is robbery committed in your area, the CP will give you a query. And it is not your fault, because of what you are being paid. There is no vehicle for patrol, no provision for servicing, no provision for fuel. They call you on distress and there is no fuel. You carry one gallon and pay from your own pocket. That is why insecurity will never stop in this country.
Even at the federal government level, I have an uncle who was a minister in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. After the budget, money was allocated to his ministry. But before it was released, he was asked to pay a percentage. He is a very religious man. He refused to pocket government’s money and give kickbacks just to access his own budget. He left the money untouched for his entire tenure. The moment the next minister came in, he paid the percentage, and immediately everything started moving. That is the system.
*NAIJA STANDARD: In the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, you are highly respected as the main brain behind powerful research and effective planning of the Nigerian police force. How did you achieve that feat?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: If you have the right mind, you will do the right thing. But the Cabal will not allow you to function, because you are a threat to them. If you want to do justice in Nigeria, you will not see the light of day. The problem is that most of our leaders do not know what is really happening. They just bring documents to sign. And because of ill health, most of them cannot perform. Nobody wants to leave power. How can they act effectively like that?
*NAIJA STANDARD: You are a vital component of the Nigerian police force management team. What does that team mean?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: It means you are part of decision making. But if you make a good decision and they do not take it, what do you do? You see the truth, but you cannot voice it because some people are beneficiaries to injustice.
*NAIJA STANDARD: When you were Assistant Inspector-General of Police, A.I.G., at Force Headquarters in Abuja, you supervised the procurement and distribution of operational equipment, uniforms, and vehicles for police operations across Nigeria. How were you able to manage that?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: Let me tell you the truth. They allocate billions for police kits. But at the end, very little arrives. Some officers will receive a bag, some a hat, some just buttons, while there is budget money for full kits. Who are you to query? Once they give you a query, your file is kept pending indefinitely. The Police Management sit once or twice a year for promotion boards. If your matter is pending, nothing moves, meaning your file is forever on the waiting list.
And there is no morality in the system. Officers go from Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP to Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP in ten years through special connections. I spent ten years before being promoted to Superintendent of Police, SP. An orderly attached to a former IG left as a DSP when the principal retired. That is what destroys morale. I have become a DIG with less than one year to go. But that orderly jumped the ranks simply because of who he was attached to.
*NAIJA STANDARD: How can the system be put right?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: We do not have barracks, and they will transfer you without giving you a single Naira. You are from Maiduguri and you receive a letter saying transfer to Abuja, with immediate effect. If you do not report on time, they query you. People are doing this job only because they have no other option. That is why there is no morale.
They transfer you with no house, no hotel allowance. Where you sleep, nobody cares. You either sleep at a police station, in a nearby mosque, or inside a damaged vehicle. You have seen police barracks. One officer with seven or ten children, sharing one room with the wife. How do you expect peak performance from that?
*NAIJA STANDARD: During your tenure as Area Commander for Area H, Ogudu, crime was significantly reduced in that zone. What were your strategies?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: Proper supervision, every single day. I would close at the station in the morning, go out on patrol with the officers myself, return home at dawn and be back in the office by noon. Because if you are not present, officers will do whatever they want. They arrest people indiscriminately, put them in the cell, and before you arrive, they have released the suspect after collecting money. Supervision is everything. Whatever you do without supervision will not succeed.
*NAIJA STANDARD: What were some of your successes at the Force CID, Force Headquarters, and in Kaduna State as Commissioner of Police in charge of Homicide?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: There were many homicide cases involving people who, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, killed their own parents. When arrested, they could not give a substantial reason for what they did. I made sure we prosecuted and charged them to court. The major problem is lack of diligent prosecution. Prosecutors compromise and connive with suspects. They (prosecutors) delay files, come today, come tomorrow. Sometimes it comes from the police, claiming files were misplaced. Continuous adjournments then occur until the judge gets annoyed and strikes out the case.
Many suspects already know judges before we arrest them. They will tell you themselves to charge them to court, because they have the charge and bail arrangement ready. Civil servants with landed property standing as sureties, collecting millions for the privilege. Bail is granted. And if a judge is transferred or promoted to the Appeal Court, while the case is near conclusion, proceedings start all over again. The complainant becomes frustrated and gives up. That is the fundamental problem with justice in this country.
*NAIJA STANDARD: At the Special Fraud Unit, Alagbon, Lagos State, when you were Deputy Commissioner of Police, can you recall some of the crimes you cracked and solved?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: In the ministries, contracts worth billions were awarded and never executed. The money is simply shared. If you invite someone for questioning, calls start coming from every direction, because the big men are all beneficiaries to each other. At the end, they direct the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to remove you. You are just doing your job.
Like the case at Force C.I.D., in Kaduna. The blood brother of a sitting governor brought a complaint to me. Someone had asked him to deliver one trailer of fertilizer, about 900 bags. He delivered it. But while the offloading was happening, the buyer switched off his phone and disappeared. I sent my officers to recover the trailer and fertilizer. We looked for the suspect. He had vanished. I released the trailer on bond with officers assigned to follow it. They blocked it en route. I sent men to remove the blockade and the trailer continued towards Zaria. Before it reached the area command, someone sent men to fire at the tires. By morning the owner called me. The trailer was parked at a nearby police station. Before I could act, without any query, without any call, I received orders from the Force Headquarters to stand down on the matter because had been removed from Force CID in Kaduna.
*NAIJA STANDARD: Because you were investigating that matter?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: Somebody had interest there. I said, if I have done something wrong, give me a query so I can explain myself. There was no query. Nothing. Just removal. Orders came from the top.
That was the former IGP. Very arrogant. You know he had been C.S.O. to President Tinubu.
*NAIJA STANDARD: Yes. Egbetokun.
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: He did what he wanted and did not care. Because he came from that house. A lot of things have gone very wrong in the Police Force. The suspect commits a serious crime, and you cannot touch him. They say transfer the case. Once the case is transferred, the matter is finished.
*NAIJA STANDARD: At Force Headquarters, you served as CP Administration at Area 10. Can you recall some of your defining moments there?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: I was fighting against internet fraud cases. Sometimes officers would arrest someone who is not a fraudster at all, with the full knowledge of other senior officials. And I was in administration. What could I say? Sometimes they would arrest a genuine fraudster but still not charge him to court. He confesses, they collect money and release him. The matter disappears. That is where I was always on the wrong side with them. I kept saying charge him to court. But when a suspect confesses and you collect his dollars instead, who is the thief? He is a thief and you are a senior thief. That is the truth. And we wonder why we cannot make changes.
*NAIJA STANDARD: From the Federal Bureau of Investigations, F.B.I., to State Police to Highway Patrol Agencies abroad, they call you ‘The Super cop of Nigeria’. Why do you think you are so celebrated globally?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: It is because you are always on the side of justice. All people cannot be the same. Once you see something wrong and you speak about it, from above they say stop. What do you do? They are the ones who placed you there.
In Nigeria, if you cannot dance to their tune, they will sideline you. When I was promoted to D.I.G., people expected me to go to Force C.I.D., because of my investigation background. I told them I did not expect anything, because even the Inspector General of Police, I.G.P. Tunji Disu, who is my friend and course mate, cannot refuse what they dictate to him. They will frustrate him if he resists. But he is a very good man, honest, doing his absolute best. He is one of the most -sincere policemen I have seen in my entire career. 100 percent welfare minded. Not like previous IGPs.
*NAIJA STANDARD: Finally, what legacy would you like to be remembered for at the end of your tenure in the Nigerian police force?
*DIG ZANGO IBRAHIM BABA: Justice. Justice to the people. How many years will I spend in this world? Is it a car or a house I will enjoy? The police have given me a car. I have my house. Nothing else is needed. In the next ten years, I will not be as strong as I am now. My system is getting old. So why do you acquire wealth you cannot spend?
I have already educated my children and taught them to be responsible. Two of them are at the Police Academy. And I always pray for them that they should stand against injustice. Once you are salaried, you can manage, because when you die, God will ask how you acquired what you have. You build a house with upper floors you cannot climb at your own age, and your children are on drugs because of the money you left them.
In my village there was the richest man in the estate. If you see his children today, they are worth nothing. Houses, cars, dollars, the father left everything. One is even in prison now because of drugs. What is the need for that kind of wealth?
It is all vanity. If you reach sixty, can you make seventy? If you reach eighty, what will you enjoy? Everything you once desired, you grow tired of. Money you can get, but you cannot buy peace. That is what is happening in Nigeria. That is my legacy. Justice to the people.
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