Ibrahim Coomassie
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox Politician
| name = Ibrahim Coomassie
| nationality = Nigerian
| image =
| imagesize =
| order = 9th Inspector General of Police
| term_start = 1993
| term_end = 29 May 1999
| predecessor = Aliyu Attah
| successor = Musiliu Smith
| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|3|18|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Katsina, Colonial Nigeria
| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|7|19|1942|3|18|df=yes}}
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Police officer
| religion =
| signature =
| Award(s) =
| relations = Abidina Coomassie (brother)
}}
Ibrahim Coomassie (18 March 1942 – 19 July 2018) was a Nigerian police officer and the 9th Inspector General of Nigerian Police{{Cite web |date=2020-02-10 |title=Abacha Coup: How Obasanjo, Yar'Adua were framed -- Farida Waziri |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/376765-abacha-coup-how-obasanjo-yaradua-were-framed-farida-waziri.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |language=en-GB}} serving between 1993 and 1999, under the military governments of Generals Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar. He died on Thursday 19 July 2018 after a protracted illness. He was 76 years old.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nan.ng/metro/katsina-mourns-as-ibrahim-coomassie-acf-chairman-dies/ |title=Katsina mourns as Ibrahim Coomassie, ACF chairman dies - News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) |date=2018-07-19 |website=News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) |language=en-US |access-date=2018-07-20 |archive-date=19 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719233731/http://www.nan.ng/metro/katsina-mourns-as-ibrahim-coomassie-acf-chairman-dies/ |url-status=dead }}
Background
Ibrahim Coomassie was among the eldest sons of Malam Ahmadu Coomassie, an educationist and businessman who became a permanent secretary of the ministry of education in the Northern region.{{cite web
|url=http://www.triumphnewspapers.com/life552008.html
|title=Life and time of Coomassie
|author=L. Abbas FUNTUA
|date=5 May 2008
|publisher=Daily Triumph
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
Ibrahim Coomassie was born in Katsina State on 18 March 1942. He was educated at the Provincial Secondary School, Zaria, Barewa College, Zaria, the Detective Training College, Wakefield, UK and Washington DC in the United States.{{cite web
|url=http://www.newswatchngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=738&Itemid=34
|title=In the News
|author=Augustine Adah and Morayo Badmus
|date=15 March 2009
|publisher=Newswatch Nigeria
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
Inspector General of Police
In 1993, Ibrahim Coomassie was appointed Inspector General of the Nigerian police, succeeding Aliyu Attah.{{cite web
|url=http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/life_style/article01//indexn2_html?pdate=110409&ptitle=Politics%20Of%20Who%20Succeeds%20Okiro
|date=11 April 2009
|title=Politics of Who Succeeds Okiro
|author=Godwin Ijediogor and Samson Ezea
|publisher=The Guardian
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
In June 1994, president-elect M.K.O. Abiola was arrested without warrant and detained by the police. He was mistreated in prison, where he was held for four years before dying in June 1998. Although head of police, Coomassie evaded responsibility for the detention.{{cite web
|url=http://www.usafricaonline.com/nigeria_almustapha.html
|title=Abacha's henchman al-Mustapha sings briefly about "Abubakar-Diya Coup" plot, the killing of Abiola, NADECO and other issues
|date=27 November 2000
|publisher=USA Africa Online
|accessdate=26 November 2009
|archive-date=24 September 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924220411/http://www.usafricaonline.com/nigeria_almustapha.html
|url-status=dead
}}
In 1996, Coomassie launched an investigation into police actions during the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida (1985–1993).{{cite book
|title=Warlord politics and African states
|author=William Reno
|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers
|year=1999
|isbn=1-55587-883-0
|page=203}} In July 1997, Coomassie said he wanted to question the American Ambassador and members of the US Embassy staff about a series of bombings of military targets. The government had accused the National Democratic Coalition of responsibility and said publicly that they suspected American diplomats knew about the bombings in advance.{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/17/world/nigeria-may-ask-us-ambassador-about-bombings.html
|work=New York Times
|title=Nigeria May Ask U.S. Ambassador About Bombings
|date=17 July 1997
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
In March 1998, Ibrahim Coomassie said that the press was misinterpreting a speech that head of state General Sani Abacha had made in November 1997. He said General Abacha had promised to grant amnesty to some prisoners, but not to release political detainees.{{cite web
|url=http://www.derechos.net/ijc/monitor/0312.html
|title=DETAINEES AND THE I-G
|publisher=The Guardian
|date=16 March 1998
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
At a police graduation ceremony in July 1998, Coomassie warned the new officers against corrupt practices, and said he had ordered the removal of all police roadblocks. However, the police roadblocks continued.{{cite web
|url = http://www2.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/research/ndp/ref/index_e.htm?docid=209&cid=0&sec=CH02
|title = NIGERIA: SELECTED ISSUES RELATED TO CORRUPTION
|date = January 1999
|publisher = Immigration and refuge board of Canada
|accessdate = 26 November 2009
|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130101060303/http://www2.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/research/ndp/ref/index_e.htm?docid=209&cid=0&sec=CH02#
|archive-date = 1 January 2013
|url-status = dead
|df = dmy-all
}}
In 1998, Coomassie observed that any time a citizen became a public figure, his first act was to ask for an orderly and policemen to guard his house, as a status symbol.{{cite book
|title=Human rights and the police in transitional countries
|author=Lone Lindholt
|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
|year=2003
|isbn=90-411-1781-4
|page=69}}
Sani Abacha died in June 1998, apparently of a heart attack. A federal government delegation led by Ibrahim Coomassie paid a formal condolence visit to Mrs. Abacha. During the visit, she accused a prominent member of the delegation of being responsible for Abacha's death, and asked Coomassie to arrest him.{{cite web
|url=http://www.onlinenigeria.com/abacha_last_days.asp
|title=Abacha's Last Days
|author=Mudiaga Ofuoku
|publisher=OnlineNigeria
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
In January 1999, Coomassie was part of a delegation that flew to Libya, despite a UN ban on air travel to that country, and held talks with the Libyan Foreign Affairs Minister.{{cite web
|url=http://www.libyanet.com/1-99nwsc.htm
|title=Libya: News and Views
|date=January 1999
|publisher=Libyanet
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
Ibrahim Coomassie retired from service and left with the Government of General Abdulsalami Abubakar in May 1999.{{cite web
|url=http://www.dawodu.com/obas8.htm
|title=Response to House of Representatives' Allegations by President Olusegun Obasanjo
|publisher=Dawodu
|date=7 September 2002
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
Later career
In October 1999, government investigations into abuses by the Abacha regime, including the assassination of Kudirat Abiola (wife of M.K.O. Abiola) in 1996 and the suspected murder of Shehu Musa Yar'Adua in detention in December 1997, resulted in the arrest of Ibrahim Coomassie and other leading figures, including Mohammed Abacha, the dictator's son.{{cite book
|title=Africa South of the Sahara
|author=Europa Publications Limited
|publisher=Routledge
|year=2003
|isbn=1-85743-131-6
|page=782}}
Coomassie was placed under house arrest.{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/19/world/world-briefing.html
|work=New York Times
|title=NIGERIA: NEW CRACKDOWN
|date=19 October 1999
|accessdate=26 November 2009
| first=Terence
| last=Neilan}}
Coomassie was reportedly scheduled to appear before the police's Special Investigation Panel. However, later that month, Information Minister Dapo Sarumi denied reports that Coomassie was under arrest.{{cite web
|url=http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Newsletters/irinw_102099b.html
|title=NIGERIA: IRIN News Briefs
|date=20 October 1999
|publisher=UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA – AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
In August 2004, the Emir of Katsina appointed him to a committee to the development and growth of Jamaatul Nasir Islam's activities in the state.{{cite web
|url=http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/08/14/20040814news16.html
|title=Katsina Emir Inaugurates JNI Committees
|author=Jare Ilelaboye
|date=14 August 2004
|publisher=This Day
|accessdate=26 November 2009
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050824174707/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/08/14/20040814news16.html
|archivedate=24 August 2005
|df=dmy-all
}}
He became a member of the board of trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum for Katsina State. The forum's mission is to protect the interest of Northern Nigeria and promote healthy co-existence that will sustain the environmental quality, livability, and economic vibrancy of the region.{{cite web
|url=http://www.arewaconsultativeforum.org/acf%20executives.htm
|title=Executive Officers
|publisher=Arewa Consultative Forum
|accessdate=26 November 2009
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627065633/http://www.arewaconsultativeforum.org/acf%20executives.htm
|archivedate=2009-06-27}}
In September 2008 he suffered serious injuries in a car accident, and spent some time in intensive care.{{cite web
|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200809180709.html
|publisher=Leadership (Abuja)
|title=Nigeria: Coomassie Critically Injured in Accident
|author=Lawal Saidu
|date=18 September 2008
|accessdate=26 November 2009}}
In August 2009, he donated about a million Naira worth of laboratory science equipment to the Police Boys secondary school, Mani, in Katsina State.{{cite web
|url=http://www.nigeriapolice.org/headlines-mainmenu-47/105.html
|title=Former IGP Coomassie Donates Equipment To Police School
|date=19 August 2009
|publisher=Nigeria Police
|accessdate=26 November 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} He died on 19 July 2018.
References
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Category:Nigerian police officers