The immediate past Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Hakeem Odumosu, on Tuesday, inspected the final parade as a CP as he retires from the Police Force.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in his note of commendation, said Odumosu served Lagos and the country with the mental and physical strength he is endowed with, saying it was time for him to drop off the uniform for a post-service life.
Odumosu’s retirement from the Force followed his recent attainment of the rank of AIG, after which the statutory retirement age set in. He was enlisted in the police on March 3, 1990, and served for 32 years.
The AIG took a bow at the Pull-out Parade and Valedictory Ceremony organised in his honour by the Lagos State Government at the Police Training Ground in Ikeja.
Odumosu served as the first chairman of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce) and also the Commander of the State-funded Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
The Governor thanked the outgoing AIG for his service to Lagos State adding that Odumosu attended to his constitutional duties with vigour, courage, and without giving excuses.
“Hakeem Odumosu’s appointment in November 2019 as Commissioner of Police in Lagos came with much expectation, as it was believed that his arrival would bring the long-sought succour which many Lagosians yearned given the security challenges facing the State then. These expectations came as a result of his very deep knowledge and understanding of what the security architecture of Lagos should be.
“Tango One, as we all call him, came with a wealth of experience, and new approaches to pursue effective policing. Those approaches led to an improvement in the security of lives and property in Lagos. He came, he saw and he is bequeathing a well-informed and motivated police command to officers serving in Lagos. He discharged his duties with diligence and emerged as outstanding police officer. I am happy to be at this occasion, which is a deserving farewell to AIG Hakeem Odumosu out of the Nigeria Police Force,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Governor added that Odumosu was leaving a big shoe in the Command and charged the new Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, to take up the gauntlet and build on the structure laid by his predecessor.
“It would be a disservice to AIG Odumosu if the level of policing in Lagos goes down after this moment. The least we can do is to ensure the labour of Odumosu is not in vain. I charge the new Commissioner of Police and all officers serving in Lagos Command to show renewed commitment to fight crimes and ensure security of lives is raised to the level where the State would be the envy of others in the country,” Sanwo-Olu added.
In his valedictory speech, Odumosu, accompanied by his wife, Nafisat, said he was not leaving the Force out of tiredness, but quitting to experience civil life, having attained mandatory retirement age.
He noted that his decision to join the police was not out of joblessness but his desire to serve his fatherland after his first degree in Arts at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Odumosu, who also holds a Law degree, two Master’s degrees and Diploma certificates, advised young officers to embrace discipline, which he described as the “bedrock of the Force.”
The event was attended by members of the State Executive Council, representative of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), former IGP, Musiliu Smith (rtd), Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, wife of the Minister of Works and Housing, Abimbola Fashola, Commissioners of Police from Southwest states, Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials and family members of the retiring officer.
