Like in life, there is a time to be born and a time to die, be it in working in public service, as well as in other sectors of security. ACP Muktari Mohammed Garba joined the Nigeria Police Force as an Inspector cadet and rose steadily through the rank to become an Assistant Commissioner of Police and worked for 35 years in the service before retiring on March 15, 2023 as the Commander of Mopol 20 in Lagos.
In the course of his service, he traversed the length and breadth of this country and he proved in all the formations he found himself to be a professional crime buster. As the Chief Security Officer to the first civilian governor of Adamawa State, the late Alhaji Sale Michika, in the 90s he proved beyond the thinking and comprehension of all, that he is equal to the task of providing security to the governor though he was of the rank of confirmed Inspector of Police.
In the past 35 years in the service of the Nigeria Police, he proved to be an officer to be relied on as it can be attested during his stay at the Kaduna State Police Command where he served as the Command Finance Officer for a consecutive period of 10 years.
It was from the Kaduna Police Command that he was transferred to Warri as the Area Commander where he worked to the admiration of all more especially the police authorities by busting the activities of criminals who were pillaging the crude oil of the country illegally thereby denying the country billions of naira as income.
His path crossed with so many senior police officers who are today in high positions in the Nigeria Police like the present Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, who served as Divisional Police Officer at Jimeta Division in Adamawa State. No wonder, the present Inspector General of Police commended him for the superlative performance he made while serving as Area Commander in Warri, Delta State where the rate of crude and oil thief was reduced drastically.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Muktari Mohammed Garba was never found wanting throughout his 35 years in service as a policeman. Rather he was awarded a lot of medals for being a through professional and served in peace mission abroad.
He is a man of the people heavily loved by his subordinate officers. When his mother died in 2022 in Jimeta, his subordinate officers in Mopol 20 Lagos come down to condoled him in Jimeta over the unfortunate sad event.
This clearly demonstrated the fact that he is an officer who in the course of discharging his duty had his subordinates in his mind and can stand with them no matter the circumstances.
He is some one that stood by his people in the hour of their needs. ACP Garba derives happiness when he sees people sleeping with their two eyes closed.
He is loved by the people of Jimeta because of his simplicity and posture as the man that shed tears for the common men and women of Gwadabawa ward, who he holds so dear.
He is passionate about his convictions and willing to listen to and consider points of view of all irrespective of positions. This attribute endeared him to the officers, who worked under him in the various formations and units throughout his service years.
The retired Assistant Commissioner of Police proved to be a good ambassador of the Nigeria Police Force. Because of the passion he had for the force, in his modest way he assisted the force while in service by overhauling and giving a facelift to some police stations in his hometown of Jimeta, especially the Jimeta Division, as well as the Government House Division.
He also donated a vehicle to the Jimeta Division to aid them in carrying out their duty so successfully.
• Usman Santuraki, a public affairs analyst, writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State