The appointment of Kayode Egbetokun as the Acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received commendation from security experts even as the IG said on the day he took over office from his predecessor, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba that he is going to roar like lion in the discharge of his duties and behave like tiger in making Nigeria crime free
By Miracle Egbo
The rise of Kayode Egbetokun to the enviable position of the Inspector General of Police is meteoric. After graduating from University of Lagos with Bsc in Mathematics, he briefly taught at the Yaba College of Technology before enlisting in the Nigeria Police as a cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP. Since then he has risen through the ranks to become the Inspector General of Police, IGP. Before now, he was the Chief Security Officer, CSO, of President Tinubu when the latter was the governor of Lagos, and he was said to have discharged his duty creditably the main reason, according to political pundits he was rewarded for being a loyal ally of President Tinubu.
Egbetokun in his takeover note said that he is determined to get rid of every shapes and seizes of crime in the nation in matter of months, and in this same breath has vowed to rid police of corruption, insisting that any officer found wanting in this regard would be dealt with according to the laws of the land. He said that he in to instill professionalism among rank and file and make sure that the era of impunity in the police is over.
“I acknowledged our citizen’s deep rooted concerns and grievances against the police. It is no secret that the Nigeria Police force has faced its fair share of criticism in the past. Instances of misconduct, corruption and abuse of power have eroded public trust”.
“I am before you today to declare that such behaviour will not be tolerated under my watch, and there will be proactive measures to instill discipline across the ranks. Accountability will be the cornerstone of my tenure as the Inspector General of Police. I am committed to fostering a culture of professionalism, integrity and respect within the police force. We prioritize new ways of recruiting, training and equipping our officers to ensure they possess the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their duties effectively, efficiently and with excellence and this will be to the admiration of the people we serve”.
“To regain the trust of the Nigerians, we will establish a robust internal system to investigate of misconduct with the police force. We would hold accountable those who betrayed the public trust in us, ensuring that they face full force of the law. Additionally, we will actively promote a working culture that will encourage officers and citizens alike to report instances of corruption or abuse they may witness. Our police will be a beacon of integrity. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and ethics. Henceforth every police officer will be selected not only for their skills but also for their passion, compassion and empathy and commitment to public service”, Egbetokun assured bewildered Nigerians on the awful activities of the Nigerian police.
Police analysts are already wagging their tongues as to the sincerity of the new IGP fulfilling the promises he had dished out to the public because his predecessors had made similar promises before but failed woefully at the end of their tenure.
An informed police source told this medium that the new IG P of police, Egbetokun is grand standing because he allegedly lacks what it takes to wrought the changes needed in the police force, insisting that he has been part and parcel of the system that he intends to change for good. He was the DIG in charge of criminals eradication but for the years he headed the place he never made any remarkable changes in the modus operandi of the police that he is touting to change now that he has been made the IGP.
The doubts of the analysts would be put to test in months to come if only he could make good his promise of reforming the Nigerian police but if he fails like his predecessors, he would be in the same page with super cops who failed to protect the citizens of the country.
