Police Inspector General Abubakar Mohammed is being criticized for his indifferent response to the murder of Kwara State Police Commissioner, Chinwike Asadu.

Mr. Asadu was murdered March 2 at his home in Amorji-Nike near Enugu, the capital of Enugu State. The then Kwara police chief was on a short visit to his home state at the time of his slaying. He was a few months away from official retirement at the time.

Several sources told SaharaReporters that Mr. Asadu had had professional disagreement with the IG two months before his death. One of the sources said the issue arose from police intervention in a communal clash in Kwara State.

“Many officers in the force have developed disrespect for the Inspector General, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, because of his conduct towards the murdered commissioner before and shortly after his death,” said the source.

The source disclosed that comments by officers as well as private discussions among police officers in Kwara often paint the IG in very bad light.

“Actually, (the late) Asadu was due for retirement in two months and the IG ordered him to personally intervene in a communal clash in Kwara,” said the source. The source revealed that the late Asadu pleaded with the IG to permit him to deploy his men to restore peace within the clashing communities, but the IG reportedly insisted that the commissioner appear in person to quell the clash.

Another police source revealed that Asadu had never personally appeared in any communal clash before, not even when headed a squad of mobile police. “He had always deployed his men but never had personally appeared to intervene in communal clashes.

Our sources stated that Mr. Asadu’s plea to the IG to be spared from direct intervention in a communal clash led the IG to arrange a transfer of Mr. Asadu to Abuja.

“Mr. Asadu was so concerned about his transfer just before his impending retirement that he contacted the Kwara State governor, who called the IG to speak to him,” said one source. He added that the IG rebuffed the governor’s pleas, insisting that it was a police affair. The source added that Mr. Asadu then contacted a source at the Presidency who brought the matter to President Goodluck Jonathan’s attention. “President Jonathan felt sympathy for the man and persuaded the IG to return Mr. Asadu to Kwara State, which the IG could not decline.”

The commissioner was then killed while on a short visit to his home state of Enugu State after the seemingly unconnected drama of his transfer to Abuja and return to Kwara. He and his driver were in the front seats of his Toyota Camry, and a uniformed orderly in the back seat, at the time of his assassination,” according to media reports.

Mr. Asadu was buried on April 12, 2013 at his home town, Onuiyi in Nsukka local government area, Enugu State. Several police sources said they were disappointed that the IG did not attend Mr. Asadu’s burial. Instead, the IG was reportedly in Lagos on the burial date commissioning a police medical facility.

“It is very inhuman and suspicious that the IG does not even feel sympathy for his subordinate. That is what officers are annoyed about,” said one officer. Another officer added: “People just feel he would not have done that if it were a Hausa officer that was being buried.”

Meanwhile, a top police source contacted in Abuja said he was not aware of any bad blood between the slain commissioner and the IG. The source, who asked for anonymity, contended that “there is nothing wrong about the IG deploying a person still on service to a communal flashpoint.”

Others who were injured during the attack on Mr. Asadu are still receiving treatment at the Orthopedic Hospital in Enugu State.