Former Lagos State Commissioner of Police and later Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, has shared a vivid account of how he was once “arrested” by policemen under his command - an experience he says reinforced the importance of discipline, humility, and mercy in leadership.
Abubakar said the incident happened on a Saturday as he was heading to his office for a 10:00 a.m. appointment. Driving along Herbert Macaulay Way in Lagos, he decided to stop and check on officers manning a checkpoint.
“One of the constables flagged me down and said, ‘Good morning, young man. Where are you going in your father’s Jeep?’ He demanded my ID, and I asked to see his first. He didn’t have any,” Abubakar recounted.
The situation escalated when the constable called his superior, a sergeant, who also insisted on seeing his identification. Playing along, Abubakar allowed them to escort him to Yaba Police Station — all without revealing who he was.
At the station, matters worsened when an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), dressed in shorts, ordered him into an office. “I refused because he wasn’t in uniform. He pushed me, and I pulled him back,” he said.
It was only when a staff member compared his face to the Commissioner’s official portrait on the wall that panic spread through the station. “The ASP and the sergeant jumped out the window when they realised who I was,” he recalled.
Soon after, the Area Commander informed him that the DPO, ASP, and other officers involved had been detained, awaiting his decision.
Abubakar chose leniency over dismissal. “Over 100 families came to plead. One man told me the officer was the only one from his village. I realised that sacking one man could hurt 30 others,” he explained.
Reflecting on the episode, he said: “Leadership is not always about punishment. Sometimes, mercy speaks louder and teaches a deeper lesson.”
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