A former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tafa Balogun, has passed on, aged 74.
He served as IGP between 2002 and 2005 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in charge of Zone 1 Kano. Also, he had served as Police Commissioner in Delta, Rivers and Abia States respectively.
Balogun had not been seen in public in recent times.
Born August 25, 1947, in Ila Orangun, Osun State, he was convicted in 2005 on eight charges of corruption, and had his corruption case re-opened in 2020.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed condolences to the Nigeria Police Force, family, friends and associates of the deceased over his death.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the President recalled that the late IGP Balogun did all he could to ensure that the Police performed its statutory duties under a democratic dispensation.
According to the statement: “President Muhammadu Buhari condoles with family, friends and associates mourning the death of former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mustapha Balogun.
“He also mourns with the Nigeria Police Force, an institution Balogun spent the better part of his life serving.
“The President recalls that Tafa Balogun, during his tenure as IGP, did his utmost to ensure that the police performed its statutory responsibilities under a democratic dispensation; and his penchant for boosting the morale of officers and men in the Force has been acknowledged by those who served under him.
“President Buhari’s thoughts are with the family, the government and people of Osun State, as well as colleagues and former colleagues of the deceased police chief.
“He prays for the peaceful repose of the soul of the departed,” the statement reads.