EX-IGP Tafa Balogun, a former Inspector General of Police, has died. He was 74 years old at the time.
Balogun, who was appointed IGP in March 2002, died on Thursday night, August 4, in a hospital in Lekki, Lagos state.
Tafa Balogun, the 21st Inspector-General of Police, was born on August 8, 1947 in Ila-Orangun, Osun State. He was a cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Course 3 member. Tafa was the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to former Inspector-General of Police, Muhammadu Gambo, Deputy Commission of Police Edo State, the pioneer Commissioner of Police in Delta State, having worked in various Police commands throughout the federation and earning his promotions as and when due. He was also the Chief of Police in Rivers and Abia states.
Tafa, a colleague of Nigeria’s premier military institution, the National War College, later became the Assistant Inspector General of Police A.I.G Zone One, Kano, from which he was appointed the 21st Inspector General of Police on March 6, 2002.
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Balogun took over as IGP in March 2002, succeeding Musiliu Smith. During the April 2003 national elections, which were marred by reports of police abuse, he was in charge of overall police security.
Tafa Balogun presented a paper titled “Nigeria: Electoral Violence and National Security” in August 2003, in which he advocated for improvements such as the use of national identity cards, mass education, electoral law reforms, citizen participation in politics, good governance, and the establishment of a constitutional court.
Toward the end of 2004, there were widespread allegations of corruption against Balogun, accusing him of pocketing public funds and accepting bribes from politicians and criminals. As a result, he was forced to retire in January 2005.
EX-IGP Tafa Balogun was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 4, 2005, on charges involving approximately N13 billion obtained through money laundering, theft, and other means. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, led by Nuhu Ribadu, filed 70 charges against Tafa Balogun between 2002 and 2004.
Balogun’s corruption case was reopened in 2020 after he was convicted on eight counts of corruption in 2005.
He was forced to retire and jailed because of corruption in January 2005 during Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure. The N16 Billion reportedly recovered from him somehow got missing.
In the face of overwhelming evidence, he struck a plea deal with the court in exchange for the return of much of the property and money. He was sentenced to six months in prison and was released on February 9, 2006, after serving part of his sentence in Abuja National Hospital.
