By: Abdul Shakur Omae
Members of the IGP Special Operations Team, widely known as the Black Maria unit, have publicly expressed deep sorrow following the directive for DSP Alhaji Bawa Abdul Jalil to step down from his leadership role. In a passionate and emotionally charged tribute signed by Chief Inspector Gamba, the team described the development as devastating, insisting their commander exits not because of incompetence, corruption, or any disciplinary finding, but solely due to a decision of the system.
The officers hailed DSP Jalil as a selfless and incorruptible leader who stood firmly by his men in difficult times, often using his personal resources to support operations, fuel patrol vehicles, and ensure the welfare of his team when institutional delays threatened their work. They credited him with forging unity, discipline, and professionalism within the Special Operations unit, transforming what they described as a scattered group into a formidable and coordinated force.
While acknowledging the pain of his departure, the team vowed to preserve his legacy and uphold the standards he established. According to them, though he may have stepped aside from office, his influence, leadership, and impact on the unit will remain permanent, declaring that no order or transfer can erase the mark he has left on the Black Maria team and Ghana’s security service.
READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW
TO OUR SHIELD AND PILLAR: DSP ALHAJI BAWA ABDUL JALIL
Our Unshakable Gratitude to an Unforgettable Leader
It is with the heaviest of hearts and a profound, indescribable sense of loss that we, the entire Black Maria team and the IGP Special Operations Team, accept the news that our beloved leader, mentor, and father, DSP Alhaji Bawa Abdul Jalil, has been asked to step down from his leadership role.
We are not just saddened. We are devastated. Words fail to capture the emptiness that now sits like a cold stone in our ranks. But even in this darkness, we refuse to let silence win. We must speak. We must honour you.
Sir, you were never just our commander. You were our shield, our voice, and the pillar that held us steady when everything around us shook. While others commanded from a distance, you bled alongside us in the trenches. When allowances were delayed by a system that often forgets the foot soldier, you opened your own pocket and fed us from your own meals. When patrol vehicles sat idle with empty fuel tanks, you filled them with your own money, not for praise, but to ensure that no vacuum was created for criminal activities to flourish. You did this quietly, without expectation of repayment or recognition. You listened when no one else would. You fought for us when we had no strength left to fight for.
Today, we feel we have failed you. That is the truth. You are now paying a debt you never owed. You have carried burdens that were never yours to bear, financial, emotional, and professional. You gave everything, even when no one asked you to. As you always say to us crime will fight you back as you fight it, we are not surprised, that you are asked to step down. You have done well my Boss and brother. You have served with distinction as the commander of the IGP’s Special operation team. Walk with your chest out. You have made them team and Ghana proud. We are super proud of you for your achievements.
You’re asked to step aside not because you’re incompetent,
You’re asked to step aside not because you’re guilty of any offence.
You’re asked to step aside not because you’re corrupt as for corruption we don’t talk about it when it comes to you and your leadership no single person can piont to the fact that you’re corrupt what the world no about you is you’re incorruptible.
Throughout your one(1) year role as the IGP Special Operations Team Commander there is no single act of corruption Allegations made against you and the entire team.
We thank God you’re always clean and,as well as the team in all our Operations.
You’re asked to step aside not because any committee or panel or service enquiry finds you guilty.
You’re asked to step aside Just because the Ghanaian system we work in decides without any reason. you are not stepping down because you were unfit. You are not stepping down because you were faulty. You are stepping down because the system has asked you to.
That alone, sir, proves how great a leader you truly are. Only a great leader can be removed without a single scar of dishonor. Only a great man can leave with his integrity burning brighter than the day he arrived.
We are not just losing a team leader. We are losing a father who corrected us with patience. We are losing a mentor who taught us professionalism and uniformity. We are losing a friend who laughed with us, cried with us, and bled with us.
Who will defend us now when the political winds blow cold? Who will listen to the midnight worries of a constable far from home? Who will spend their last cedis just to see us smile? The answer haunts us, no one. Not like you.
Your Legacy Will Never Be Forgotten
DSP Alhaji Bawa Abdul Jalil, you have done more than your best. You have set a standard so high that few can ever reach it. As you leave this role, we do not say goodbye to your legacy, because a legacy like yours does not leave. It remains. It breathes. It walks with us.
You brought together a scattered group of determined officers and forged us into the IGP Special Operations Team, Black Maria. That was your vision. That was your gift to the service and to the nation. And we swear to you today, that vision will never die.
We will continue to hold onto the two things you always demanded from us, professionalism and unity. We will not let your name be spoken in vain. We will not let your sacrifice be erased. We will carry your standard into every operation, every patrol, every silent hour of duty.
We pray that the Almighty Allah continues to bless you, protect you, and lift you higher than you have ever been. We pray that the peace you fought to give others will now find its home in your own heart. We pray that wherever you go next, you will find leaders half as good as you, and followers as loyal as the ones you leave behind.
We will miss you. Today, tomorrow, and every day after. You will always be the Originator of this Unshakable group. No order, no transfer, no resignation can ever change that.
You may have stepped down from a position. But from our hearts? You will never step down.
With eternal gratitude, deep sorrow, and unbreakable loyalty,
IGP’s Special Operations
(The Black Maria’s)
Chief Inspt Gamba.