A former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, has said the people he hated most while he was an undergraduate student were the police.
In a recent interview to celebrate his 75th birthday, Okiro, the 13th IGP, mentioned that his entry into the police force was seen as a stroke of luck.
He said his aspiration throughout his childhood was not to pursue a career in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Okiro explained that his disdain for the police grew as he engaged in activism as a student at the University of Ibadan (UI), where he was an undergraduate.
Okiro, the chairman of the Police Service Commission (PCC), shared that his team frequently faced opposition from the police, stating that they were consistently thwarted in their efforts to carry out their perceived duties.
He told The Sun: “That I grow up to be an IGP is by God’s grace. That I equally joined the police was something out of the ordinary. Because as a young man growing up, I never had an encounter with the police. We saw the police from a distance.
“My father was a civil servant. When I became a student in university, one of the people I hated the most was the police. Why? Because I was a student activist. I believe in taking active action in student activities. Often then, we had an encounter with the police, and I did not like the police at all because they were always preventing us from doing what we thought was right to do.
“They were always preventing us from protesting against domination and injustice. So, I did not like the police. But here I am now. I joined the police out of curiosity and adventure. I became the IG by God’s providence and blessing. I retired after 60 years of age. It is the mandatory age for retirement. Here I am now at 75.”
The post The People I Hated Most Is The Police – Former IGP appeared first on Naija News.