Ibrahim Coomassie

Ibrahim Coomassie was a Nigerian police officer who served as the 9th Inspector General of Nigerian Police from 1993 to 1999, under the military governments of Generals Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar. He was born in Katsina State on 18 March 1942 to an educationist and businessman father. He attended the Provincial Secondary School, Zaria, Barewa College, Zaria, the Detective Training College, Wakefield, UK and Washington DC in the United States. He joined the Nigerian Police Force as a cadet inspector in 1964 and rose through the ranks to become the Inspector General in 1993. He was involved in various security operations and investigations, such as the arrest and detention of president-elect M.K.O. Abiola in 1994, the probe of police actions during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, and the accusation of American diplomats of involvement in bombings of military targets in 1997. He also oversaw the police reforms and modernization program, which included the establishment of the Police Service Commission, the Police Academy, and the Community Policing System. He retired from service in 1999 after the return of democracy and engaged in various community and peace-building activities. He was the chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, a northern socio-cultural group, and a member of the National Peace Committee. He died on 19 July 2018 at the age of 76 after a protracted illness. He was buried in his hometown of Katsina.