The Nigeria Police Force has pulled out a Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Abiodun Alabi, and two Assistant Inspectors General of Police, AIGs Joshua Ogundele and Olanrenwaju Olaosebikan, from the service.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the retiring officers were pulled out at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos State on Tuesday.
This was amid cheers by family members, colleagues and other dignitaries.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, in his speech, commended the retired officers for their loyalty, commitment and dedication to their duties.
Egbetokun said: “I am privileged to honour the pulling out of my friends, colleagues and course mates.
“It is difficult to bid them farewell for the service we embarked together nearly 35 years ago.
“I am grateful to God for the success of their professional careers.
“Rising to the prestigious ranks of DIG and AlG is not a small accomplishment.
“It is a testament of hardwork, dedication and hardwork.
“Having shared our Cadet days together at the police academy, I can attest to their integrity, professionalism and passion for policing, which has been the cornerstone of our remarkable service to our nation.”
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According to Egbetokun, the remarkable officers have excelled in every assignment entrusted to them.
He said: “Alabi in his final role as a DIG Force CID and member of the Force Management Team demonstrated extraordinary vision and provided insight, which I will miss deeply in our management deliberation.
“Ogundele left an enduring legacy through his transformative leadership at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon.
“He consistently delivered and was outstanding in all assignments given to him.
“Olaosebikan worked with me closely as AIG Admin (Works) at the headquarters and he performed well.
“These officers have served honourably with integrity and commitment.
“They have retired with a sense of pride and fulfillment.
“They will be remembered in the prayers of the people they served so well and will retire with the peace of knowing that they discharged their duties with distinction.”
The police chief said that the officers may not have retired as billionaires, but the greatest of all was the satisfaction of a job well done and the comforting assurance that if forgotten by men, they would forever be remembered by God.
Egbetokun prayed the days ahead for them would be filled with peace, joy and countless blessings.
He added: “May your years of retirement surpass your years of service, bringing you fulfilment and happiness.
“To the families and friends, I say a big congratulations to you.
“These officers were remarkable.
“I thank you for supporting them.”
In his remark, the Oniru of Iru Kingdom, Lagos State, Oba Omogbolahan Lawal, urged the retiring officers to continue to be good ambassadors of the Nigeria Police Force.
Lawal said: “As you retire, you will continue to be ambassadors of the NPF, the discipline you imbibed throughout your careers in the force as you are being pull out today, the discipline will surely follow you.
“God will be with you, evil will not befall you.
“As you will be pulled out today, you will not retired unto sickness or death and you will not lack.”
Also speaking, retired DIG Babatunde Kokumo, the Coordinator, National Centre for Control of Small Arms, congratulated the retiring officers and their spouses for witnessing the pulling out ceremony after having spent over three decades of active service in the NPF.
Kokumo said: “It is not a tea party.
“You have served meritoriously.
“Your service to the NPF continues in your retirement and you will continue to remain good ambassadors of the NPF.”
He charged those still in service to be professional, diligent and work hard as the retiring officers had done.
Kokumo advised officers still in active service to be willing and ready to accord the retired officers their due respect, saying that retirement was a must because whatever had a beginning must surely have an end.
He prayed that their peace, lives and their children would be better in their retirement and their source of financing would never diminish.
DIG Alabi, a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, gave thanks to God for keeping them throughout their service in the Force.
He said the three of them pushed through the challenges and stayed motivated all through their years of service in the noble career.
He said: “Over the years, we faced numerous challenges, overcame insurmountable obstacles and made sacrifices that test our resolve and character.
“Yet through it all, we remained steadfast, rose above challenges, emerged stronger and more resilient, guided by our unwavering commitment to duty.
“Being pulled out today, we are filled with a sense of nostalgia, remembering the day we respectively enlisted into the force, driven by a burning passion for justice and a desire to make a difference in the lives of our fellow Nigerians.”