Garland for a super cop; Cp Manko bags prestigious Good security award

LAGOS CP, UMAR MANKO

This year's Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, CLASFON, national conference turned out to be one of the best in recent times going by the caliber of people that were honored. In fact, the choice of recipients of the awards has so far turned out to be outstanding in view of the glaring achievements recorded by the recipients in their respective endevours. Topping the list are achievers like Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola,former NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Uriel Palti, and Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umaru Manko,amongst others.

Particularly outstanding is the recognition given to the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Umaru Manko for his untiring efforts in curbing crime and criminality in the city of excellence. Going by the unassailable records created by the police boss since he assumed office two years ago, there is no belaboring the fact that members of the fellowship have taken the bull by the horn by the honor bestowed on Umaru Manko.  

Coming at a time when many other interest groups are clamoring to recognize the enviable records created by the police boss, members of the fellowship have shown that there is need to give honor to whom it is due.

Cp Manko, according to records, has distinguished himself as a versatile and dedicated officer while discharging his duties since he resumed office as the police boss in Lagos State. Available records shows that Manko, did not just succeed in preventing and reducing crime in Lagos State, he also succeeded in solving major crimes in the state as well as rounding up many notorious armed robbers, kidnappers, fraudsters and other criminal elements who have been terrorizing Lagos and other states within the country.

Notable among his achievements were the arrest of a 14- man gang of deadly armed robbers who specialized in killing policemen and snatching their rifles within Lagos and Ogun States. Police recovered a total of nine police AK 47 rifles, two English pump action pistols, 37 magazines fully loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition and two cans filled with 750 rounds of 7.36mm live ammunition each. Eight vehicles were also recovered from them.

Prior to that, Cp. Manko co-ordinated the arrest of a notorious arms dealer in the country, Tochukwu Nweke, who supplies arms and ammunition to major deadly gangs in the country. Fourteen Ak-47 rifles, one General Purpose Machine Gun, GPMG, 125 magazines, loaded with 6,672 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, four GPMG chain bullets with 100 rounds of live ammunition fully loaded, and 180 rounds of 9 mm live ammunition, were recovered from the suspect. At the end of 2012, the Lagos State Police Command succeeded in arresting a total of 569 suspected armed robbers, while 140 of the dare-devils died during encounters with the police within that period. Three hundred and seventy one arms, including 39 AK47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Gun, GPMG, one rocket launcher and two rockets, 26,058 ammunition, 12 dynamites and 954 vehicles were recovered under the same period.

In 2013, under Manko’s watch, the command rounded up the gang of hoodlums that kidnapped the mother of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof. Kamene Okonjo, in far away Delta State. They received a ransom of N13million. A gang of armed robbers that robbed the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja and carted away a whooping sum of N700million after killing two police officers, were also rounded up. The command also brought down a gang of notorious kidnappers headed by one Benjamin Osinachi, a.k.a.China, killing seven of them while two were arrested alive. The gang kidnapped Ejigbo Local Council Development Area boss, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, two months ago and fled outside the country. The Police boss swiftly swung into action and directed his operatives to permeate all the neighboring countries and fish out the hoodlums. The mission paid off and at the end of the day, members of the vicious gang were arrested and made to confess their criminal exploits.

In August 2013, Manko, in his effort to restore peace and security to Lagos State, sent operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Robbery, SARS, led by Sp Abba Kyari, in pursuit of the most dangerous robbery kingpin in Lagos and the Southwestern part of the country, Abiodun Ogunjobi, AKA, Godogodo, who had killed over 50 policemen in the past 15 years and also coordinated major bank robberies within the region. On the orders of the Cp, SARS operatives trailed Godogodo to his mansion at Egbeda area of Ibadan, Oyo State and arrested him alive, recovering two Ak47 rifles and 10 Ak 47 magazines loaded with 300 rounds of live ammunition. The arrest of Godogodo who is considered the most dangerous armed robber in recent times was greeted with surprise from members of the public and within the police authorities, given the myths surrounding the name Godogodo.

Amongst many other enviable achievements were Cp Manko's avowed commitment towards ensuring that human rights as espounced by the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, was respected and observed to the letter. He also recorded a rare feat as the first Commissioner of Police in the state to organize a sumptuous luncheon for suspects inside the dreaded cell of the Special Anti-Robbery squad, SARS, Ikeja. In fact, that feat so much endeared him to the inmates to the extent that one of the suspects said to be a very notorious bandit spoke out loudly, extolling the new trend with a firm promise to make a change in his way of life.

At the end of the event which took place at the Orchad Hotels and Events Center, Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, observers openly expressed the opinion that the sky is the limit of the amiable and sociable Police boss in spite of his natural inclination to remain low-keyed in his professional feats, not withstanding also, his royal background.