MD Yusuf: The exit of a radical police officer
By Terkula Igidi & Ibraheem Hamza Muhammad
Not much had been heard of former Inspector General of Police Muhammadu Dikko Yusuf in the few years before his death on April 1st 2015 but nobody will argue that the fair-complexioned prince of Katsina was a radical, whose courage, bravery and congeniality gleamed the darkened horizon during the General Sani Abacha days.
MD Yusuf, as he was fondly called, was an aristocrat from the Katsina ruling house and he was the great-grandson of the legendary Muhammadu Dikko the Emir of Katsina.
He started his Islamic education at Malam Jibrilu’s school known as “Makarantar Barmo in Katsina.” Katsina Middle School, School of Arabic Studies, SAS, Kano Institute of Administration, Caria and Oxford University, London. He later proceeded to school and joined the Northern Regional Government then called the Public Service Commission, PSC.
He was the Head of Intelligence of Nigeria before the creation of National Security Organisation, NSO which later became Depeartment of State Security DSS.
He later became the Inspector General of Police, IGP between 1976 to 1979 when General Olusegun Obasanjo was the Military Head of State and he retired when they handed over power to civilians in the second republic to Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the Nigeria Peoples Party, NPN.
In retirement he was in 1994 made the Chairman of the Liquefied Natural Gas of Nigeria, LNG in 1994.
It was after this appointment that M.D. Yusuf would stagger on the political stage in late 1997, challenging General Abacha for the presidency of the nation on the platform of the Grassroots Democratic Movement ( GDM). It was a move many considered dangerous because Abacha clandestinely planned to succeed himself in a highly controversial military to civilian transition programme.
Having prepared the ground for self-imposition and using the military junta’s might to instil fear into the populace, the presidential bid of M. D. Yusuf was halted in April 1998 at the Maiduguri Convention of the GDM where Abacha was endorsed for Nigerian president in an election slated for August 1998.
However, in 2003 M.D. Yusuf contested for President under the Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ).
He was later the Chairman of the Northern pan-regional pressure group the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF.
He once challenged the National Assembly to impeach his boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo for granting asylum to the deposed former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor.
In his tribute, a long time associate and a former presidential candidate under the botched General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, Dr Lema Jibrilu who holds the title of Dan-Iyan Katsina said: “MD Yusuf once told me that my father was his teacher at ‘Makarantar Barmo’ and he is an embodiment of courage and honesty as he was hardworking straight-forward among many qualities. This generation should emulate his good qualities.”
He said the elder statesman did not lobby or receive any royal title offered him, even as a scion of the Katsina dynasty. He said late MD suffered from a complex fracture for about six years which later led to his death.
Also in his tribute, a relation to the late police officer, and the former Minister of Commerce and former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Magaji Muhammadu, said: “Late MD Yusuf has a long history as he belongs to the offspring of thelegendary Emir Muhammadu Dikko of Katsina. His grand-father was Muhammad Gidado whose royal title was “Durbi”. His father was Alhaji Yusuf Lamba who held the title of “Magajin Gari”. Upon his background of royalty, he joined the radical political party of Malam Aminu Kano, the Northern Elements Peoples Union, NEPU, which challenged the powerful status of the royalty then. Many who didn’t know him taught he joined politics to challenge the late Sani Abacha, not knowing he was a politician in his teenage years. May Allah forgive his short comings and grant him eternal rest, amen.”
Similarly, a former colleague of MD Yusuf in the police, a retired Commissioner of Police Usman Faruk, who is also the Jarman Gombe w who was the former military governor of the North West describes the late MD Yusuf as “the most highly respected police officer who was seen as an embodiment of honesty because of his uprightness. All retired officers that served the country in the police even up to IGP level looked up to him as a reference point. May he rest in eternal peace, ameen.”
For Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, the history of his police career will not be complete without the late MD Yusuf.
He said he knew the late retired IGP in 1963 when he was undergoing training as a cadet at the Advanced Training Wing of Police College, Ikeja.
“The late IGP, and the late DIG Theophilus Fagbola joined us in the advanced course, having converted to Nigeria Police Force from the civil service with the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.
We never knew the late IGP was a northerner because he never spoke to anyone, even though we criticized them in the lecture room in Hausa language. He was humble, gentle and a man of few words. He was always quiet and un-assuming even though he was an ACP, wearing the same rank with the commandant of Police College Ikeja. They spent only three months with our squad and left us.”
Tsav added that on completion of his course he was posted to Ilorin Province in the Northern Region, where he served under Alhaji M.D Yusuf, who was CP Northern Region.
“In 1965, I was posted to Kainji under Ilorin province during the construction of Kainji Dam. I had some problems with same expatriates in Kainji and the CP obtained and paid for the services of a lawyer, the late Rauf Gaji to defend me. He believed that I was being victimized but refused to intervene. Rather, he chose to obtain and pay for the service of a lawyer for me.
“M.D Yusuf was appointed IGP from DG Special Branch (NSO) and during the failed Col Dimka Coup, I was one of the police officers that were marked for elimination because I was in charge of SIB and handled cases involving the military and the police. Someone felt I was too hard on the military so I was marked for elimination. It was therefore necessary in the interest of my safety to be transferred out of Lagos to the north. The IGP personally asked me to choose my posting and I choose Kano. He was particularly kind and considerate to me, and I did not know why.
“Alhaji MD Yusuf was from a royal family but behaved like an ordinary person. He was a good mixer but still a man of few words.
He was so simple a person that he carried his luggage himself whenever he traveled. He was principled, humble, approachable and humane in dealings with others. Humility and respect for the rights of others was his watch word. He was too simple and easy going for an IGP. Many officers believed that he was too humble to be an IGP,” Tsav said.
But in politics, Tsav said Yusuf was bold and courageous as he was the only person who challenged Gen. Sani Abacha for the presidency in the oppressive military days.
“Nigeria has indeed lost a great leader. May God grant him eternal rest in ALJANNAH FIRDAUSI Ameen. My condolences to his family, friends and the Nigeria Police at large.
We have lost a caring father,” he said.
MD Yusuf, as he was fondly called, was an aristocrat from the Katsina
ruling house and he was the great-grandson of the legendary Muhammadu Dikko the Emir of
Katsina