Deputy Commissioner of Police, Iyamah Daniel
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Iyamah Daniel Eyibor, one of the newly promoted officers was an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in Department of Operations, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, waiting for the next posting shortly after his decoration. In this exclusive interview with THERESA MOSES, he talks about how crime is beyond the person but the mindset, promises not to fail in his assignment as he will do the best to make sure that the job moves forward.
Can we meet you sir?
I am Deputy Commissioner of Police, Iyamah Daniel Eyibor from Edo State. Am a graduate of Economics with Masters in Criminology. I enlisted into the Nigerian Police Force on the 18th of May 1992 and I’ve worked in so many places. I worked as Divisional Crime Officer, Patrol Officer, Area Crime Officer, went on foreign mission, was Police Public Relations Officer of Ogun State Police Command as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). I was OC homicide, Divisional Police Officer in Lagos, OC homicide in Ogun and Lagos State respectively. AC Training at Police Command; was a course officer at the Police Academy in Kano where I trained over1, 000 cadet officers before my present posting which is an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Department of Operations, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos. Now am waiting for the next posting due to the present rank which we are celebrating as DCP. I know I have a lot to do with the new rank and by the grace of God I will not fail anybody. I will do the best I can to make sure that the job moves forward.
The higher the rank the tougher the assignment: Based on your new rank, what should we be expecting from you?
Definitely with the new rank, am having more load on my shoulder. Because the number of people am going to superintend over will definitely going to increase. With the new rank, as you’re elevated, the people your superintending will increase so I have to buckle up to make sure I do the right thing at the right time. And make sure I take charge wherever am posted and do the best to make the Nigerian Police proud and the citizen in general.
What is your advice to Nigerians this New Year?
My major advice to Nigerians is that they should be law-abiding because the law is no respecter of anybody. If you’re a good citizen of this country and you don’t indulge in crime or any form of criminality, nobody will harass you. But by the time you are found wanting against the law, the law must take its course. So I therefore advice anybody to be law-abiding; you should know when you are about to do the wrong thing and its better not to do it. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. That’s my advice.
With your experience in criminality, what are the major causes of the increased rate of crime in the country?
When you talk of crime and criminality, I still believe that it has to do with the state of the mind of the individual. Like some people will say, there’s no employment that’s why some people go into criminality. I don’t believe that because if there’s no employment nothing stops you from going into farming. It doesn’t mean it must ne mechanized. The little you can just use it to sustain yourself till a better thing comes. Before I joined the force, I used to go to farm. Lack of employment is not an excuse to go into crime. Personally, why people take to criminality is because they are on the fast lane; what you know you cannot achieve or is not easy to come. Something that will take you a year you want to achieve it in a month. Why won’t you get into criminality?
So if you take your time to let these things come at your own pace and don’t live a flambouyant life you can’t sustain. Just take it easy and everything will come without stress. To say one read criminology and there are special things that makes one go to crime is just a study; to me its mindset. Even people from wealthy homes go into criminality, why. Can you now say because they don’t have a job? You get what am saying. There are cases where the son of the CEO of a company is stealing from the company.
You said crime is beyond the person but the mind of the person: do you think we need more orientation on the mindset to reduce crime rate?
We need orientation. Apart from orientation, if the basic things too like the infrastructure are available, it will equally help. But at the same time, the orientation is number one. Let people know that there’s no gain in criminality. If you let them know that there’s no gain in criminality and they believe what you said, I believe that the crime rate will definitely reduce, if not completely eradicated.
What’s your advise to other promoted officers?
They should be up and doing and make sure that any assignment they are given, they should carry it out to the letter. There’s no time to waste and they have to be dedicated and be courageous and have self-confidence. Self-confidence is one of the problems I see in some officers. You must be self-confident, don’t be scared to take a decision. Take a decision, if your decision is not good enough somebody will correct you. But for you not to take a decision, you will not move the work forward.
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