Posted by By CHRIS ANUCHA & CHRISTOPHER OJI on
The Inspector General of police, Mr. Mike Okiro, has given reasons for the delay in appointing a new Commissioner of Police for Lagos even as he assured that a new CP would be posted to the Centre of Excellence in a week's time.
The Inspector General of police, Mr. Mike Okiro, has given reasons for the delay in appointing a new Commissioner of Police for Lagos even as he assured that a new CP would be posted to the Centre of Excellence in a week's time.
Briefing newsmen in Lagos yesterday during the commissioning of a new building named 'Sunday Adewusi House," a Special Fraud Unit (SFU) in Ikoyi, Okiro explained that the delay was as a result of failure to get approval from the appropriate authorities.
He disclosed that he had submitted a list of names to the Presidency, Police Service Commission and to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola, for approval, adding that the police were still waiting for the green light.
He, however, assured Lagosians that they would soon have a police commissioner that would take charge of the security of the place.
It would be recalled that Lagosians have expressed concern over the delay in posting a new CP since the elevation of Mohammed Abubakar to the position of an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of zone 2 more than a month ago.
They argued that not having a police commissioner has been responsible for the upsurge of crime in the metropolis in recent time.
On 'Sunday Adewusi House," Okiro said he was happy that honour was given to Adewusi, a former IGP, in his lifetime.
He described the former IG as a police officer who served Nigeria meritoriously to rise to the position of an Inspector General.
'He did well for Nigeria and today, he is being honoured for his service to his fatherland," he said. The former IG, who went down memory lane, said the Special Fraud Unit was the same place he was placed under house arrest in 1984 after a military coup.
He thanked Okiro and the commissioner in charge of SFU, Mr. Olayinka Balogun for naming the Special Fraud Unit after him.
He commended Balogun for his excellent efforts both at the SFU and while he was the Deputy commissioner of police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
He said: 'He is an outstanding officer thoroughly worthy of emulation."