…Speaks on IGP Egbetokun, Quota System, and Reforming the Force
Retired Commissioner of Police, Olusola Amore, in this conversation with JULIANA FRANCIS, reflects on his relationship with the current Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. He discusses the challenges posed by the quota system within the Force and stresses that true transformation of the Nigeria Police can only begin when senior officers stop demanding ‘returns’ from their subordinates.
After working as a teacher and a journalist, what inspired you to enlist in the Nigeria Police Force?
After my years as a teacher and journalist, I eventually leapt into policing, a profession I often say I will always love. Drop my name anywhere I’ve served, and I’ll proudly walk you through my posting history; it will show you the kind of policeman I am.
My background shaped me into a better officer. Teaching taught me humility, service, integrity, and the importance of setting a good example. Journalism taught me to scrutinise society’s problems, and I was often critical of the police.
While working at The Punch, I met Alozie, who wrote a column for the paper. We frequently debated, with me challenging police practices. One day, he told me, “If you want to change a system, you can only change it from within. You can’t change it from the outside.” That struck a chord.
Reflecting on my journalist colleagues and how far they’d progressed in their careers, I decided to try policing. I naively thought I could simply walk in and become an officer, but I quickly learned it was a rigorous process, including screening, background checks, and assessments, before I was finally accepted.
Would you say you made a difference as a policeman? How?
Absolutely. There are many ways I made a difference, but the most important thing is impact. I often tell people: when you meet a policeman, ask about the difference they’ve made in their postings.
I began my career in Benin during the height of the Lawrence Anini era, Anini being the notorious armed robber who terrorised Bendel State in the mid-1980s. I participated in the Anini operation, and soon after, I was appointed Benin State Police Public Relations Officer (PRO).
Perhaps because of my Mass Communication background, I excelled in that role. My performance caught the attention of the then Force Public Relations Officer (PRO), ACP Lekan Alabi, who brought me to Force Headquarters at Kamsalem House.
There, I became editor of the police newspaper Dansenda, producing it almost single-handedly with only an inspector assisting in production. I gathered news from all commands, edited it, took it to the police printing press in Ikeja, and ensured it was distributed nationwide. Later, I launched a coloured police magazine.
That was my first major impact, shaping the police’s public image and communication. In my first five to six years, I worked entirely in the Public Relations department, delivering lectures in police colleges and using my communication skills to address key issues in the force.
Eventually, I was posted to core policing. My first station was Shagamu Police Division, where I served as Divisional Crime Officer (DCO). To this day, if you mention my name there, they will remember me, not as a typical policeman, but as one who never took bribes or demanded money for bail.
The discipline I acquired as a teacher and Public Relations background had groomed me to expect nothing beyond my salary.
Even during lecture tours, when I received a tour advance, I would wonder why they gave me so much. That mindset to serve with integrity has been my guiding principle throughout my career.
What Was Your Greatest Challenge as a Policeman
My greatest challenge as a policeman, thank God my psyche has healed over time, was the shock of encountering the politics within the job. We all trained together, knew our worth, and understood what we were capable of achieving.
In 1992, my set, which we call Constantine 85, was promoted to the rank of Superintendent. From that year, I remained in the same rank for ten years. No query, no offence.
The only “offence” was that the quota system pinned down officers from certain states. Meanwhile, colleagues from other states, particularly from the North, with whom we had been promoted, moved up almost every two or three years.
I am from Ogun State, and like many of my colleagues from Ogun State, as well as some from the Southwest and Southeast, we were stagnated for a decade. Ironically, Constantine 85 produced two Inspectors General of Police, IGP Abbas Suleiman and Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, yet we all began at the same rank and year.
For many years, it weighed on me because I knew those who were better than me and those I was better than. I left an impressive mark on my work.
I was among seven officers selected for community policing training in the UK and the US, travelled nationwide, and made presentations at the highest levels. Yet, there was no reward. Just because of the state you come from, your promotion could be delayed or denied.
I spent ten solid years as a Superintendent of Police (SP) before becoming Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP). Then, I remained another seven years before promotion to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). That’s 17 years on just two ranks. Within that time, others were recruited from different parts of the country and promoted over our heads. That, to me, was one of the greatest challenges of my career.
What Is Your Greatest Achievement as a Policeman
My greatest achievement was my involvement in the community policing initiative.
A few of us were selected, trained, and tasked with writing a project plan. Sadly, many who talk about community policing today do not truly understand it. It’s not about whether you have state or federal police; it’s a philosophy, a way of life.
It’s about collaboration between the police and the community to solve crimes, address social problems, and tackle other local issues.
One key feature is geographical area policing, where officers are assigned to communities they know well. The policemen know residents by name, and the residents know their policemen. That way, if someone new moves into the neighbourhood, the community can alert the local officer: “A new person has moved in, we don’t know what he does for a living.”
We took this initiative to many parts of the country. I worked alongside our consultants and other trained officers such as the late Ademola Omole, Austine Uwuoha, retired DIG Peace, the late Donald Amuna, John James, Chukwudi, and Abdul Malik. Over time, the team grew.
This initiative gave me immense joy. I trained in the UK and the US, and that was perhaps the best professional education I ever received. I also attended a one-month course at the Mubarak Police Academy in Cairo, Egypt, which I thoroughly enjoyed. These remain some of my proudest moments in the Force.
Tell Us About Your Worst Day as a Policeman
I wouldn’t say I have a “worst” day in the police, except for the moments when we lost colleagues in the line of duty. Those were painful.
I recall when I was in Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, we lost my friend, Saka Lawal, to armed robbers in the Bode Thomas area. We had to convey his body to his hometown in Kwara State for burial. That day weighed heavily on me because we had been so close.
People Describe You as a Kingmaker. Why?
I honestly don’t know why people call me a kingmaker. I don’t see myself as one.
How Many People Have You Advised or Assisted into the Police Force?
That’s just my way of life, touching people’s lives.
Perhaps you’re asking this because, during my 70th birthday celebration, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, shared how I helped him join the Force.
I don’t know why he chose to share that story, but the truth is, we are brothers, cousins. If you can’t help your own family, who will you help?
Take my friend, Laren Bankole, a retired AIG. He was more than a schoolmate; he was a close friend. Back in our College of Education days, we even used his father’s house at Odeku Close to host parties.
When I joined the Force, he was shocked. He asked me, “Sola, what are you doing in the police?” Later, when I was transferred to Lagos and he was still teaching, he would often visit me at Kamsalem House, at Obalende. That’s when I persuaded him: “Come and join. You can only change the system from within.”
I’m proud of the impact we made. In the two states where I served as Commissioner of Police, people still talk about the changes we introduced. My phone number was at every police station.
If anyone claimed a bribe was needed, I told them to call me directly. When they did, I would say, “Give the phone to the CRO.” Then to the CRO: “This is the CP. Hand the phone to your DPO, someone says you’re demanding money.”
I never collected money from DPOs, so I expected them not to demand bribes from the public, not for bail or anything else. I enforced this both in Niger and Kwara states. That’s how you change a system from within.
My coursemate, retired IGP Abbas Suleiman, has the same mindset. If you try to give him something, he’ll ask, “Why? You’re a CP, I’m an IGP, I should be the one giving to you.”
In my view, Commissioners of Police should support their DPOs, not the other way around.
How Did You Convince the Current IGP to Join the Police Force?
I didn’t have to convince him; we’re first cousins. As he told everyone at my 70th birthday, he attended every school I attended and worked every job I worked.
He was a teacher like me, studied at the same College of Education and the University of Lagos, and eventually followed me into the Nigeria Police Force. I told him, “Come along, so I won’t be the only one here.”
My philosophy is simple: help people as much as you can. That’s the real measure of impact in life.
Many of the DPOs, including the one at Ikeja Police Division, are my juniors; we’ve crossed paths, and we look out for one another.
In summary, if I had to live my life all over again, I would gladly go through the same journey, from teaching to journalism, and finally into the police force, because each stage shaped the other and gave me the platform to make a difference.
