The newly appointed Commissioner of police for Delta Command, Mohammed Ari Ali is unarguably one of the officers who can proudly claim to have an in-depth knowledge of the Lagos terrain with its attendant crime characteristics. This is certainly based on the fact that out of the 29 years he has served so far in the Police Force, major part of it have been spent in Lagos and Delta States alone.
The remaining part were spent at other police commands such as Benue, Zone 7 Command, FCT Police Staff College, Rivers and Bayelsa. What this clearly shows is that Ali is more with fighting crime in Delta and Lagos than elsewhere since the number of years he has served in the two states in different capacities gives him some advantage in understanding the arts and science of crime and criminality and how best to checkmate same.
Little wonder why he can audaciously tell criminals of different stock to relocate from wherever he served if they would not repent as he has what it takes to pursue them to the gate of hell.
Having served at different times in Lagos as Crime Officer, Divisional Police Officer, Area Commander and currently Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations and Delta as the Officer in charge of general investigation SCIID, Asaba, DPO Avenue police station, Warri, DPO B Division, Asaba, DPO Head Bridge, Asaba, Staff Officer Junior, Asaba, DPO Agbor, Ali stands taller than many of his contemporaries as far as policing Lagos and Delta States is concerned.
This has become evident in light of the fact that with his foiling of bank robbery in Apapa area of Lagos in 2009 and the recovering of five AK47 rifles with 1500 rounds of live ammunition, authorities of the Police Force have chosen to entrust him with more challenging task where-ever he is posted to serve.
Prior to his current posting as Delta police boss, he has served as Deputy Commissioner of Police In charge of Administration at the Benue Police Command after spending a few weeks as the Deputy Commissioner of Police at Rivers Command and later Area B command, Lagos.
He had also served as Divisional Police Officer in various Stations in Lagos and Bayelsa Commands.
As the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations in Lagos, Mohammed Ali proved his mettle holding forte in a manner that gives his immediate boss then the Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu some measure of relief from the head and heartache policing of the Command.
While serving in the same capacity during the past administration of Imohimi Edgal, the State Commissioner of Police, Ali had exhibited absolute loyalty and finesse in the discharge of his duties as the man charged with daily operational activities of Police personnel in the Lagos Command. He had combined forces with the Commissioner in leading officers and men of the Command to check mate various types of crimes in the state such that Edgal’s administration recorded a decrease in crime rate in the state.
Cultists, kidnappers, armed robbers, ritualists and other sundry criminals were given a hard fight in every aspect with the combined efforts of Lagos residents through the instrumentality of Edgal’s community policing partnership initiative which provided opportunity for the civil populace to assist the police with relevant crime information.
Ali with a Bachelor of Science degree in Library/Political Science from University of Maiduguri, a Master of Science in Industrial Relations from Delta State University and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Industrial Relations from Irish University Business School, Penbroke Square, UK, can best be described as a thorough bred professional police who brings intellectualism to bear on his operational activities. He does not get intoxicated with the powers of super cop as he strongly believes in the rule of law in every circumstance particularly in policing.
He also believes that fighting crime is a collective effort and would not hesitate to tell anyone who cares to listen that the decline in crime activities in Lagos in recent time particularly in the last two years was as a result of partnership with various stakeholders and state government positive intervention in security matters.
The Laos Command with Ali as DCP Operations in the last two years under the leadership of Edgal, Muazu and Odumosu has had far reaching partnership interactions with the local vigilante groups, Community leaders, religious and youth leaders among others to support Intelligence gathering towards tracking down criminals.
With the collaboration of these relevant stakeholders and subsequent decrease in crime rate, Ali can proudly say that Lagos is the safest place to live in Nigeria.
His indepth knowledge of Delta environment and its demographics coupled with the awareness of daily influx of more migrant population from other states seeking settlement in Delta, Ali stands robustly qualified to head the Delta command.
It is historically revealing that Delta as big heart and one of the oil rich states and hotbed for herders\farmers clashes has the tendency to warrant a more careful choice of who is appointed the Commissioner of Police to take charge. The good people of Delta are always at home with a police commissioner who understands their cultural diversity and the agrarian dynamics that occasionally become the priority of government with respect to economic investment interest.
Unarguably, Ali fits in as a detribalized Nigerian police officer who has the ability to amiably relate socio-culturally with all manner of people of different ethnic or racial extractions without playing up his own tribal swag.
Perhaps, this is ostensibly why some persons often mistake his identity. His mastery of some Delta languages outside his own native language has often brought him closer to the populace and thereby making his community policing strategy work better.
This is why he can confidently and authoritatively tell anyone who cares to listen that “he knows in and out of Lagos and Delta States. “We act on information and intelligence and would arrive at the criminals’ den and pick them like snails”.
For Deltans, it is home-coming for Ali.
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