There was confusion at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday as the sacked Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, stalled the formal handover to his successor, Solomon Arase, until he was compelled to do so by order from above by the Presidency.

In fact, many former Inspectors-General of Police have expressed reservations over the manner Abba, a fine officer, was removed from office just because President Goodluck Jonathan was defeated.

The handover ceremony which was slated for 8am with invitations sent to journalists for coverage from the office of the Force Public Relations Officer, did not take place until almost 4pm.

According to Abba’s aides, when they visited his official residence at Maitama, he said he was yet to receive any official letter informing him to hand over and he heard the news of his sack on radio and television just like other Nigerians.

 Abba was said to have removed all his personal belongings before leaving the office around 11.20pm after he heard the announcement of his sack in the media on Tuesday.

Reporters who converged in their numbers early in the morning for the handover, were disappointed as they were not allowed access to Force Headquarters. No reasons, according to sources, were given for the delay in the handing over ceremony.

3 DIGs protest appointment of Arase
Meanwhile, uncertainty continued to pervade Force Headquarters after it was reliably gathered that three of the serving Deputy Inspectors-General of Police were holding an emergency secret meeting in one of the offices on the 6th floor of the headquarters building.

Feelers from the meeting indicated that they resolved to protest the appointment of their contemporary, Arase, DIG Intelligence, as acting Police boss on the grounds that they were all promoted same day on February 20, 2014.

The three DIGs were also said to have sworn to contest the appointment of Arase to the highest level because they were not well treated by his appointment. While tension generated by the ugly development threw Force Headquarters into confusion, other top officers were seen in different moods.

Many of them stood in groups discussing the development in hushed tones.