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1st LD Writethru: Nigeria's police chief axed, another appointed: presidency

Xinhua, April 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Nigeria's outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday sacked the country's police chief, Suleiman Abba, the presidency said in a terse statement reaching Xinhua.

The statement, signed by presidential spokesman Reuben Abati, said the axed police chief will be replaced by Solomon Arase, a former deputy inspector-general of police.

No reason, however, was given for the axing of Abba as police chief.

The sacked police chief had taken the flak for ordering the closure of the Nigerian parliament and was held responsible for the teargassing of parliamentarians during a crucial meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja late last year.

But this may not be connected to his axing, on Tuesday, by Jonathan who will quit office as president of Africa's most populous country next month, local analysts said.

Arase, who holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law, as well as Bachelors and Masters Degrees in political science and strategic studies, will immediately take office as Nigeria's acting police chief, according to the presidential statement. Endi