Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau

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Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau
Minister of the Interior
In office
November 2015 – May 2019
PresidentMuhammadu Buhari
Preceded byPatrick Abba Moro
Succeeded byRauf Aregbesola
Chief of Army Staff
In office
2008–2010
PresidentUmaru Yar'Adua
Preceded byLuka Yusuf
Succeeded byAzubuike Ihejirika
Personal details
Born (1954-03-14) 14 March 1954 (age 67)
Zaria, Northern Region, British Nigeria
(now Zaria, Nigeria)
Alma materBarewa College
Nigerian Defence Academy
Kent State University
University of Keele
Military service
Allegiance Nigeria
Branch/serviceFlag of the Nigerian Army Headquarters.svg Nigerian Army
Years of service1977 - 2010
RankLieutenant General

Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (born March 14, 1954) is a retired Nigerian Army general and politician who served as Chief of Army Staff between 2008 and 2010; and in President Muhammadu Buhari's Cabinet as Minister of the Interior from 2015 to 2019.

Early life[]

Family[]

Dambazau was born into an aristocratic military class family of the Fulani Dambazawa clan. His father served in the Colonial Army, and his brothers held senior posts in the army. He also holds the traditional title of Baraden Kano.[1]

Education[]

Dambazau's secondary education took place at Barewa College, Zaria, where he graduated in 1974. In 1979, Dambazau attended the US Army Military Police School at Fort McClellan. Dambazau later obtained a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Kent State University in 1982 and a PhD in criminology from the University of Keele in 1989.[2]

Military career[]

In 1974, he proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 17 Regular Combatant Course. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army in June 1977.

Command[]

Dambazau served as a military police officer, aide-de-camp to the Chief of Army Staff (1979), commanded military police units and served as a special investigator (1984-1985). Dambazau was registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 1993 to 1999. He also served as chief instructor, Support Weapon Wing of the Infantry Centre and School from 1999 to 2001 and later as directing staff at the National War College from 2004 to 2006. From 2007 to 2008, he served as general officer commanding (GOC) 2nd Division, Ibadan.[3]

Chief of Army Staff[]

He was appointed Chief of Army Staff in 2008 by President Umaru Yar'Adua.[4] Towards the end of the Yar'Adua administration,[5][6] the army was accused of attempts to covertly seize power due to Yar'Adua's illness.[7] After Yar'Adua's death, Dambazau was retired from service by President Goodluck Jonathan.[8]

Political career[]

Following his retirement in 2010, Dambazau went into politics, later joining the All Progressives Congress (APC). During the 2015 presidential election, he was the head of the security committee of the APC campaign organisation, he later lost out to be appointed National Security Adviser.[9]

Interior minister[]

In November 2015, he was appointed Minister of the Interior by President Muhammadu Buhari.[10] In 2019, he was removed as interior minister after an investigation found him guilty of "abuse of office".[11]

Controversies[]

Contract fraud[]

During his time as Chief of Army Staff, Dambazau was implicated in a contracts fraud scandal.[5]

US real estate[]

In 2016, an investigation by Sahara Reporters showed that Dambazau owned an estimated US$3 million in US real estate.[12]

Shoe shining incident[]

In a viral video, an SSS operative was shown shining Dambazau's shoes at a public event.[13]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Kano Emir confers traditional titles on Dambazau, others". Vanguard News. 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  2. ^ Eterno & Das (2010). Police Practices in Global Perspective. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. p. 259. ISBN 9781442200241.
  3. ^ Adefaye, Gbenga. "Dambazau: What the army thinks". Vanguard Nigeria. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  4. ^ Siollun, Max. "Profile of Nigeria's New Military Service Chiefs". Max Siollun's Website. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b "UPDATED: The Turai Coup D'etat: How Turai Yar'Adua seized power". Sahara Reporters. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  6. ^ "Dambazau: What the army thinks". Vanguard News. 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  7. ^ da Costa, Gilbert (31 January 2010). "Nigerians Wonder: Could a Military Coup Help Us?". Time.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Editor (2010-09-10). "How Dambazzau got news of his removal". The newafricanpress. Retrieved 2020-04-28. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ "Exclusive: How Dambazau lost out in NSA race". TheCable. 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  10. ^ Ekott, Ini. "Updated: Buhari assigns Ministers; Fashola heads Power and Works, Amaechi gets Transportation". Premium Times. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Why Buhari Dropped Ex-Minister Abdulrahman Dambazau". The Whistler NG. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  12. ^ "Buhari's Minister Of Interior Dambazau Owns $3Million Dollars In Real Estate In The US, Billions In Abuja". Sahara Reporters. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  13. ^ "Video: Nigeria's Interior minister, Dambazau, converts SSS officer to 'shoe shiner'". Premium Times. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
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