The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 11 Command, Osogbo, AIG Ajani Olasupo Babatunde, has retired after 33 years of service, AMILOADED reports.
The retirement ceremony in honoured of AIG Ajani was held at the Osogbo City Stadium, the Osun State capital on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, the Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, deeply appreciated AIG Ajani for his sustained service and immense contribution to the state.
In his address, the governor who was represented by Special Advised to the Governor on Security Matters, Mrs Abiodun Ige, said, “AIG Ajani Olasupo Babatunde contributed to the restoration of peace in Osun State during the Ife-Modakeke crisis which earned him the award of Osun State Merit Award on Security 2005.”
The governor referred to AIG Ajani as a patriot and genuine lover of the state and its citizens, saying, “He always offered genuine advice and proffered proactive measure to security issues while he headway as Assistant General of Police, Zone 11, Osogbo.
“Trained in the best tradition in Nigeria and abroad AIG Ajani brought creativity and excellence to his duty at Zone 9, Umuahia as Security Commissioner Operation during the indigenous peoples of Biafra agitation for incession in South-Eastern Nigeria between 2015 and 2017.
“We’ll never forget his immense contribution to the security and safety of the people. The best legacy AIG Ajani Olasupo is leaving behind as he pulls out is recreating himself by training a good army of officers across the country that will take over from him,” Oyetola said.
The elated AIG Ajani, who also delivered his farewell speech at the event, expressed his appreciation to the residents of Osun State and Nigerians at large.
He said, “I want you to know that, in spite of our very evident imperfections, the vast majority of police officers I have been privileged to work with are extraordinary people of courage and compassion, of heroism and humanity, of bravery and brilliance, of determination and that precious, old of fashioned thing called duty. But crime is rising; population is increasing, officers’ numbers are falling, which means we need your help and support more than ever before.
“Although you demand high expectations from us, you also need to understand the incredible pressures we now face. The truth is that we will always do our job better when we do it side by side with you. I was never just a police officer: I am a Nigerian, a Yoruba man, a husband, a dad. I was one of you, in blue and black uniform.”
Ajani further thanked journalists, adding that “The experience of recent history tells you that when policing gets it wrong individually or institutionally, the consequence can be devastating. I want journalists therefore to question and challenge us when circumstances demand. I don’t want them to let us get away with a single atrocity observed. But in the process they must be balanced in their reportage.
“The prevailing media narratives about policing in this country are astonishingly hostile, with accusations that the police are corrupt, incompetent etc. There are bad eggs in every organization, and we must remember that the police are the mirror of the society it serves. The character of the police of any society is the character of that society, so each society deserves the kind of police it has.
“The second appeal to journalists is to understand that there is a difference between mistake and misconduct. There are a handful of people in policing who abuse position and power due to corruption and criminal motives, those people belong in jail.
“But then, there are thousands of good police officers doing sometimes impossible job in the frequently impossible circumstances making life or death decisions in fractions of seconds thereby giving room to honest and entirely human mistakes.”
He, therefore, appreciated political office holders across the country, saying, “I wish to thank the politicians who govern us policing and politics can be uneasy bed fellows, perhaps best the kept at a respectful distance from one another. With operational present constitutional provisions, the idea of operational idea of independence from political control is not attainable.
“As a police officer, you may promise to serve without fear or favour but it is very difficult to stay out of politics. Politics has increasingly got stuck into policing, and if we are not careful politics can get into the way of policing.”
The Osun State Commissioner of Police, CP Olawale Olokode, Ondo State CP, Bolaji Salami, CP Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, all congratulated AIG Ajani on his retirement and wished him all the best moving forward.
Biography
AIG Olauspo Babatunde Ajani psc(+) FCIDPM, FCAI is a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife where he studied Education and obtained BA Ed. With Second Class Upper Division in 1982, and also obtained Masters in public Administration in 1998 from the University of llorin Kwara State.
He was enlisted into the Nigeria police Force as Cadet ASP on the 25th of March, 1988, and served in different parts of the Country which includes Kwara State, Osun state, Abia State, Kano State, Lagos State and FCT Abuja.
During the Ife-Modakeke crisis, he was drafted there to assist in restoring peace, due to his performance and track records he was rewarded with Osun State Merit Award on Security 2005.
Thereafter, he was detailed to Kosovo in Eastern Europe for Peace Keeping Mission, where he had sterling mission performance. On completion of that assignment, he returned to Nigeria as 2i/c SCID Osun State Command.
AIG Ajani also served in Nigeria Police College Ikeja as AC Basic Training where he trained over 5,000 Recruits apart from over 1,000 Custom Officers as well as another 1,000 Police Cadet Officers, who are now serving all over the country in various capacities.
In 2015, there was once again a call for action when the IPOB started it’s agitation for succession in Eastern Nigeria as he was posted to Zone 9, Umuahia as the DC Operations to take charge of the whole of the South East of Nigeria. He was there until 2017, when he was promoted to Commissioner of Police and posted to FCT Abuja as CP in charge of Police Air Wing.
In December 2018, he briefly served as CP Administration DLS but was again posted as Commandant Police College Ikeja on the 9th of January 2019.
He served as Commandant Police College Ikeja until he was promoted as AlG and posted as AIG Investments Force Headquarters Abuja where he was till his posting as AlG Zone 11 Osogbo.
Other appointments held by AIG Ajani include Investigation Officer at Special Fraud Unit Milverton Road, Ikoyi Lagos and Seconded to the FMIU, where he collaborated with NDIC and CBN to investigate failed bank matters.
He attended many national, international and professional courses which include Senior Command Course Staff College, Jos; Senior Management Course Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Conflict Resolution and Management Course, Institute of Conflict Resolution, Abuja; Seminar and Workshop at International association of Chief of Police (IACP) Philadelphia, USA.
AIG Ajani is happily married and the marriage is blessed with many lovely children and grandchildren.
See photos below:
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