The Untold Story Of Nigeria’s IGP Tafa Balogun And How He Fell From Power To Jail
Young Balogun was born on August 25, 1947, at Ila-Orangun in Osun State, South-west Nigeria. He studied at the University of Lagos, earning a B.A. in political science there in 1972. In May 1973, he enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force.
He earned a law degree from the University of Ibadan while serving as a police officer. After serving in a variety of roles across the nation, he rose to the position of principal staff officer for former Inspector-General of Police Muhammadu Gambo.…CONTINUE READING
He later held the positions of deputy commissioner of police in Edo State, commissioner of police in Delta State, commissioner of police in Rivers State, and commissioner of police in Abia State.
When he was elevated to Inspector General of Police on March 6, 2002, he was appointed Assistant Inspector General of Police in A.I.G. Zone One, Kano.
Tafa Balogun as Inspector General of Police:
In March 2002, Balogun succeeded Musiliu Smith as IGP. During the national elections in April 2003, which were marred by allegations of police misconduct, he was in charge of overseeing police security generally.
In a paper titled “Nigeria: Electoral Violence and National Security” that Balogun presented in August 2003, he called for changes like the use of national identity cards, widespread education, electoral law reforms, citizen participation in politics,
good governance, and the creation of a constitutional court in Nigeria, as well as strategies to ensure the workability of these ideologies.
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Meanwhile, to ensure there were no disruptions during the Commonwealth of Nations conference, Balogun organized intensive security measures across Nigeria in December 2003.
However, it didn’t go as planned for Balogun, as there was a riot and reporters were severely injured with their facilities destroyed in 2004.
As a result of this unfortunate incident, Balogun apologized and vowed that those involved would be held accountable. He assured the concerned parties in the same year that proper investigations would be carried out and the perpetrators of the riot would be brought to justice.
Shortly after he made those promises, newspapers began to publish widespread accusations of corruption before the end of 2004, claiming that Balogun had embezzled public funds and accepted payments from officials and criminals. He was forced to retire as a result in January 2005.
On April 4, 2005, Balogun was charged with receiving about N13 billion by the Federal High Court of Abuja for theft, money laundering, and other means.
Thus, several investigations conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Nuhu Ribadu at the time reveal that the accusations against him were valid.
Balogun was charged with 70 offences by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, led by Nuhu Ribadu, between the years 2002 and 2004. However, Balogun agreed to a plea deal with the judge in return for giving back most of the goods and cash.
Thus, Balogun was sentenced to six months in jail in Kuje Prison.
Reports have it that people in his home town stormed his home located there and found dollars in the ceiling.
Tafa Balogun completed his jail term, serving a portion of it in Abuja National Hospital, and was released on February 9th, 2006.
On August 4, 2022, Tafa Balogun died at a hospital in Lekki, Lagos, after being diagnosed with a minor illness.
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