When one had cause to go to a police station to incident a complaint and seek police intervention, it is not unlikely to be met with a demand for money to open a file or buy paper.
The general perception of the average citizen is that the rank and file of the police is corrupt. I have had a fair share of encounters with men and women of our police force ranging from the lowly constable to the top echelon as friends and acquaintances.
On Friday, July 8, 2022, I received a report of theft at my site which made me go to Mowe Police station, Ogun State.
The first thing that struck me when I got to the station was that I met four officers at the desk. I requested to see the head of the station, the Divisional Police Officer(DPO) which prompted the most senior of the four to take me to an office. It was then I realised that the person who interacted with me at the desk was the DPO.
This was quite unusual as the DPO is the last person you will find at the desk.
I sought to know why SP Folake Afeniforo was found at the desk when I came in. She said she is better off monitoring her station’s activities at close quarters, and not giving room for unnecessary delays.
With finesse, her personal interrogation of suspects and fact-finding led to the resolution of the issue at hand such that within three hours, the location of the stolen items was discovered and were recovered. SP Afeniforo’s approach to the job is visibly reflected in her subordinates at the station, unlike what one will finds at a typical police station. I can only but commend SP Folake Afeniforo and her subordinates at the Mowe Police Station.
- Wale Taiwo is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria