Date: 2020-12-21

Last Friday,December 18,2020 was an unusual day in the annals of Ilorin Emirate. It was the day the community lost one of its highly promising and patriotic sons, Alhaji Abdulkadir Lanre Jimoh, to the cold hands of death. He was until his death the Commissioner of Police in charge of Cross River State Command. The next date was also sorrowful. It was a day of reality when his corpse was brought to his ancestral home for all to be convinced that the man who was previously full of life had really passed on. It was the day the remains of the gentleman were committed to mother earth at his GRA, Ilorin Residence in the presence of hundreds of mourners who came from all over Nigeria and beyond to pay the late officer the proverbial last respect.

The mood of the people I saw at the event and those I interacted with since the sad news broke out and the magnitude and quality of tributes dropping from their lips on the death of the super cop showed that we indeed lost a colossus. The mood on the popular AbdulRasaq Road, GRA, Ilorin, was so pensive, empathising and condoling as if no one has ever exited to the great beyond.

It was all because of the person involved. The late Commissioner of Police represented different things to different people. But there is a convergence of opinions on his personality and career. They all agreed that he was an exceptional patriot and a fine officer and gentleman who did very well throughout his 56 years of sojourn on earth

He was a nice man. I sincerely attest to that. Though, I never met him in person. Yet, I benefited from him in a way I never anticipated. It was during the sacred month of Ramadan earlier this year when a distant relation of mine was wrongly arrested by the police for a crime he did not commit. He was subsequently gaoled. All efforts at securing his release were futile. I was approached to contacted someone who could help. It was the deceased from that I decided to seek assistance. I placed a call to him. He responded effortlessly. He did not allow me to introduce myself. He said he had my telephone contact. He also made me happy when he added he had always read my periodic pieces on Ilorin and so I should feel free with him. He demanded for explanations on what actually happened and I obliged him. He assured me that the boy would be released. The assurance came to pass some hours after my interactions with him ended. The concerned DPO profusely apologised to the boy and his parents. It would have been the other way round if not for the intervention of the late patriot.

His intervention left me so impressed that I reported my encounter with him on all the Ilorin Emirate-dominated social media platforms for my impression to be expressed as loud and clear as possible. The responses generated by my message of appreciation convinced me that offering such assistance and even greater ones were his pastimes. He had done that many a time without expecting anything in response.

Who was Lanre Olopa as he was fondly called? Alhaji Jimoh Olarenwaju Abdulkadir, a trained historian, fringe teacher, football enthusiast and committed police officer, was born to the family of the late Alhaji Imam Abdulkadir and the late Alhaja Ajarat Iyabo Abdulkadir of Elegede Compound, Eruda Quarters, Ilorin, on August 27, 1964.

As customarily required among the good people of Ilorin Emirate, an entity that is renowned for its deep Islamic orientation and scholarship, this "Dahiri" grew into consciousness at a traditional Ile Kewu, where he studied the Qur'an and rudimentary knowledge of Islam in order to be prepared for a useful Muslim life and becoming a decent human being. In 1970, young Abdulkadir was enrolled as a pupil of Baboko Demonstration Primary School, Ilorin. He received his First School Leaving Certificate at the school in 1976.

For his post-primary education pursuit, this illustrious son of Ilorin Emirate proceeded to the famous AbdulAzeez Attah Memorial College (AAMCO), Okene, in the present-day Kogi State. He was trained at the institution appellated as the "Lion of the North" from 1976 to 1981 and eventually earned his West African School Certificate in flying colours.

Between 1982 and 1983, CP Abdulkadir studied at the then Kwara State College of Technology (now known as the Kwara State Polytechnic), Ilorin, for his IJMB/Advanced Level qualifications, which he glowingly had in History, Economics and Islamic Studies .At the end of the pre-university course, this distinguished officer proceeded to the better by far University of Ilorin where he was educated from 1983 to 1986. At the end of his sojourn at the nation's most sought-after University, Mr. Abdulkadir earned his Bachelor's degree in History.

He, thereafter,went for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme in Benue State. He served his fatherland as a youth corps member at the State otherwise called the "Food Basket of the Nation" between 1986 and 1987.

Sequel to the completion of his youth service programme, he was offered employment as a teacher by the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission. He taught History at the first wholly Girls College in the defunct Northern Region, the famous Queen Elizabeth School, Ilorin, from 1988 to 1990.

Mr. Abdulkadir had a remarkable turn in his career path on March 3, 1990. That was the historic date he was enlisted into the Nigeria Police as a Cadet Assistant Supreitiendent of Police (ASP). Upon the completion of his training, he was posted to the Okigwe Division in the Imo State Command of the Force where he did his attachment between 1991 and 1992.

He subsequently served in a number of places across the country such as been a pioneer staff of the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police from 1993 to 2000 after which he was transferred to his ancestral home. In 2000, he was the Divisional Police Officer at the "C" Division, Oja-Oba, Ilorin. He also served at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Kwara State Police Command, between 2004 and 2008. He was on that position when he was promoted to the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

From 2008 to 2010, this great son of Ilorin Emirate was at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) on secondment from the Nigeria Police where he worked under the Chairmanship of a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Farida Waziri, towards reducing the level of financially-related crimes and criminality in Nigeria.

Alhaji Abdulkadir was, undoubtedly, an intellectually prepared and professionally sophisticated officer who took full advantage of several trainings within and outside Nigeria to improve on his professional competence and administrative wherewithal. He benefited from about 20 professionally-related courses, conferences and workshops, which not only sharpened his intellectual horisons but also exposed him to emerging trends in the task of discouraging and eradicating crimes and criminality from our societies. Those trainings included Anti-Fraud course at the Police College, Ikeja, in 1993; NDIC/Police Seminar on Fraud/Forgeries in Banks at Enugu in 1994 and Advanced Detective course at the Police College, Ikeja, in 1997. He also received various trainings at the United States Embassy, Lagos; Malaysia Anti-Corruption Academy and Microsoft Place 100, London.

In addition to several others that space would not permit their enumeration here, Alhaji Abdulkadir attended the National Institute for Security Studies, Abuja, at end of which he was awarded the Fellowship of the Institute in 2016.

His profound training, exciting gallantry, enviable bravery and patriotic commitment to the safety of lives and property and loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria informed his promotions and postings to several strategic positions in the course of his stimulating career.

In 2010, the late distinguished Fellow of the Security Institute served as the Head of Operations in-charge of Abuja/Kano of the EFCC. While holding that strategic position in the dreaded anti-graft Commission, he was also simultaneously serving his fatherland as a Member of the National Identity Management Commission(NIMC).

On the completion of his engaging tour of duties to the above-mentioned strategic agencies of the Federal Government, Alhaji Abdulkadir was redeployed back to the Nigeria Police. He subsequently served as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in several States of the federation including Lagos, Yobe, Oyo as well as at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in the course of which he was also an effective Area Commander-in-charge of the famed ancestral home of the Yoruba people, Ile-Ife, and its neighborhood-all between 2011 and 2015.

An officer who spent no fewer than 25 enviable years in the Investigation and Intelligence network of the Nigeria Police, CP Abdulkadir was challenged with more work and responsibilities as he was promoted to the rank of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in 2016. As a Deputy Commissioner of Police, he served in various segments of the Force in Edo and Lagos States as well as at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja from 2016 to 2020.

As an hardworking, brave, gallant and committed officer and gentleman, Mr. Abdulkadir was deservedly elevated to the exalted rank of Commissioner of Police earlier this year. He was subsequently transferred to the Force Headquarters as the Commissioner of Police, Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), Abuja, where he dutifully served before his deployment to Cross River State as the Commissioner of Police and a Member of the State Security Council.

One very important aspect of the career of this illustrious son of Ilorin Emirate is that in all the places he served as an officer of the Nigeria Police, he always left the legacy of honesty, bravery, gallantry and compassion for which his ancestral community is renowned. He jealously projected, polished and preserved the good image of Ilorin as a dedicated and disciplined officer of the law.

Unsurprising, the tributes, which came from the Executive Governor of Cross River State,His Excellency Prof. Ben Ayade,and many other members of the informed segments of the "People's Paradise" show that CP Lanre did his best in protecting the lives and property of the people of the South-South State to the best of his ability.

Mr. Abdulkadir followed the glowing footpath of his illustrious senior compatriots who had served as Commissioners of Police in various States of the federation at one time or the other. Among those gentlemen were Alhaji Issa Ojibara who served as the Kogi State's pioneer Commissioner of Police before his retirement as an Assistant Inspector General of Police. Others who were so privileged were Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, who served in Sokoto,Oyo and Imo States before his promotion to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General and subsequent glorious retirement after serving as the Commandant of the Police Academy, Wudil, Kano, as well as Mr.Morenikeji, who hailed from Bode-Saadu, the headquarters of Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State. Mr.Morenikeji also retired as an Assistant Inspector-General of Police. It was also the case with Alhaji Amusa Bello,who headed the Anambra State Police Command,and Alhaji Abdulkadir Mohammed who served in Sokoto State before his retirement from service.

He also left a legacy,which others such as the newly promoted Commissioners of Police Babatunde Ishola Babaita and Yekini Adio Ayoku and those coming behind them like DCP Garba Salman-Dogo and DCP Jimoh Moshood, among others, must continued to sustain within and beyond the services of the Nigeria Police for the love of our people.

As if he knew that he would not live long,Lanre Olopa adequately touched so many lives positively in a way that would remain evergreen in the memory of the several beneficiaries of his legendary generousity and mentorship forever.

There are so many lessons in the life and times of the late Officer, which those of us who are alive would learn from. We must know that our life does not really belong to us. It belongs to Allah Who gives and takes as He wishes.

As Prophet Muhammad(SAW) enjoined us that while we should always act as if we would live forever, we must also conduct our affairs as if our existence would be terminated the next moment. We must do all the good we can do to as many people for as long as possible because it is what we do that would be said about us while alive and even thereafter.

Alhaji Abdulkadir was an happily married man. His widow is that renowned public servant and unassuming politician, Hajiya Segilola Abdulkadir(nee Momo), who was trained as a Library Scientist at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, trained Library Scientist. She was a member of the Kwara State of House of Assembly between 2011 and 2019 and they were blessed with children who are also doing very well in their various pursuits.

On behalf of the National President of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alhaji Aliyu Otta Uthman, fsi; I sincerely sympathise with His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji(Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR; the good people of Ilorin Emirate and most especially the Elegede family of Eruda Quarters,Ilorin, on the demise of the great man. I also commiserate with His Excellency,the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and the associates of the late Commissioner of Police on his death. It is my prayers that may Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him a special portion in Al-Janah Fridaous. Aamiin.

Imam is National Publicity Secretary, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union