Tafa Balogun
| Mustafa Adebayo Balogun | |
|---|---|
| 11th Inspector General of Police | |
|
In office March 2002 – January 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Musiliu Smith |
| Succeeded by | Sunday Ehindero |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 August 1947 Ila Orangun, Osun State |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation | Nigerian Police Investigation Officer |
Mustafa Adebayo Balogun (born 8 August 1947 in Ila Orangun, now in Osun State), widely known as kumawu, was appointed Inspector General of the Nigerian Police in March 2002 and was forced to retire because of widespread charges of corruption in January 2005.
He attended the University of Lagos, graduating in 1972 with a B.A. in Political Science. He joined the Nigeria Police Force in May 1973. While a police officer, he gained a law degree from the University of Ibadan. After working in various positions around the country, he became Principal Staff Officer to former Inspector-General of Police, Muhammadu Gambo, then Deputy Commissioner of Police in Edo State, and then Commissioner of Police first in Delta State and then in Rivers State and Abia State. He was appointed Assistant Inspector General of Police in A.I.G Zone One Kano, the position he held when promoted to Inspector General of Police on 6 March 2002.
In November 2001, as A.I.G., Tafa Balogun reassured reporters that there were provisions to ensure the safety of businessmen in Nigeria through the called Diplomatic Corp and Foreign National Protection Unit.
Mustafa Adebayo Balogun became IGP in March 2002, replacing Musiliu Smith. He was responsible for overall police security during the April 2003 national elections, which were marred by reports of police abuses. In August 2003, Tafa Balogun presented a paper on "Nigeria: Electoral Violence and National Security" in which he advocated improvements such as use of national identity cards, mass education, electoral law reforms, citizens participation in politics, good governance and establishment of a constitutional court.
In December 2003, Tafa Balogun organised extensive security measures across Nigeria to ensure that there were no disturbances during the Commonwealth of Nations summit. Following various incidents in 2004 where reporters were beaten and their equipment damaged by policement, Tafa Balogun made apologies and promised that those responsible would be punished.
Towards the end of 2004, newspapers published allegations of corruption on a massive scale, asserting that Tafa Balogun had pocketed public money and taken bribes from politicians and criminals. These led to his forced retirement in January 2005.
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Wikipedia