Thousands of Kwara women took to the street last Friday to protest the appointment of Kayode Egbetokun as the new Commissioner of Police in the state.
Recall that mammoth crowd of youths in the state on Thursday in Ilorin went round major streets to register their grievances over the redeployment of Egbetokun who was the former chief security officer (CSO) of national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The police boss was said to have served Tinubu during his tenure as governor of Lagos State.
The women protesters on Friday began their protest at Iloffa road home of the Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki in Ilorin and marched to the Ahmadu Bello way police headquarters and the office of the DSS.
Some of the women carried placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Egbetokun must go, ‘We don’t want him;’ ‘We have no confidence in Egbetokun to do an impartial job in Kwara,’ among others.
The protesters accordingly sent a letter of complaint to the acting Inspector general of Police, Mohammed Adamu and the state Director, Department of State Security, (DSS).
Reading a copy of their letter of complaint, Bukola Opah said: “ We wish to convey our displeasure and disapproval of the appointment of Kayode Egbetokun as the new commissioner of police to Kwara State Command.
“Kayode Egbetokun was the chief security officer (CSO) to the ex- Lagos State governor and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We sincerely believe that this is another ploy by the Federal Government to malign and disrupt the forthcoming elections in the state as we cannot guarantee that we will be have a free and fair election with a partisan police commissioner.
“In the interest of fair play, the posting should be immediately reversed to guarantee free, fair and transparent elections in Kwara State.
“It will also be recalled that the same commissioner of police was earlier posted to Lagos State Police Command by the former Inspector general of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris (rtd) and was spontaneously rejected by all the political parties in the state, necessitating the reversal by your humble self and assumption as the new IGP.”
… I am in Kwara to discharge duty with honesty, integrity – new CP
By Ahmed Ajiobi
The new Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has assured all the political parties that he will discharge his duty with vigour, honesty and integrity.
Egbetokun made this known yesterday in Ilorin while meeting with newsmen at the Command headquarters.
According to him, nobody should entertain any fear as the police are fully prepared for the election stressing further that police will always protect lives and property.
He said, “I am in Kwara to discharge my duty with vigour, honesty and integrity. I am committed to upholding and protecting human rights of the people.
“However, criminal elements will not have a hiding place here; they either decide to change or relocate.”
He therefore appealed for support of members of the public as the police can’t succeed without their cooperation.
Speaking on the proposed visit of Presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari in the state, today, the CP said adequate security arrangements have been put in place.
The police boss added that, his officers and men have been stationed at strategic points to ensure safety and security of the masses adding that he would employ the use of technology and intelligence to handle security issues in Kwara State.
The CP however appealed to residents of the state to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the police for prompt action.
Meanwhile, a statement issued and signed yesterday by Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Okasanmi Ajayi revealed that the new police boss in the state holds Bachelor of Science degree (B.Sc.) in Mathematics, M.Sc. Engineering Analysis and certificate in Electronic Data Processing and Computer Programming – all from the University of Lagos.
He also bagged PGD in Petroleum Economics from Delta State University, Abraka and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Lagos State University.
Egbetokun was formerly a lecturer at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos before enlisting into the Nigeria Police Force in 1990 as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police.
A member of cadet Asp Course 2/90, Nigeria Police Academy, Egbetokun has worked in several Police commands and formations across the country.
Before his deployment to Kwara, he was the Commissioner of Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Commissioner of Police Servicom at the Force Headquarters Abuja, Deputy Commandant Police College, Ikeja, Commandant Police Training School Ikeja, Area Commander Gusau, Zamfara, among others.
