Outgoing Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command and newly promoted Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, Mohammed Bala Mustapha, Thursday officially handed over the mantle of leadership to CP Olubenga Adewale Adepoju, as the new Commissioner of Police in Rivers State.
Speaking during a brief handover ceremony at the Police Officers’ Mess in Port Harcourt, AIG Bala Mustapha, who was deployed to Zone 6 Command Headquarters Calabar, thanked the officers and men of the Rivers State Police Command as well as residents of the state for their support and cooperation during his three months in charge as the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State.
AIG Bala, who spent 3 months as the Rivers Police boss, said the command recorded several achievements during the period, in crime fighting, peacekeeping, human and infrastructural developments in the state.
Some of the notable feats include the rescue of underaged pregnant girls from a baby factory.
He added that as a commissioner of police, he ensured that the state remained calm and peaceful, adding that through his marching orders, operatives of the command were able to tame the criminal elements that could have brought unrest in the state.
Bala revealed that on resumption of duty, he held briefings with the Command’s Management Team, Area Commanders, and Tactical Team Commanders, who he said adhered to his advice and exhibited a high level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
While commending his gallant police officers for their tactical efforts in policing Rivers State, the AIG noted that with the support of other security agencies and the media, the state has relative peace despite the political crisis.
He congratulated his successor, CP Olubenga Adepoju, who was the Deputy Commissioner of Police working with him while he was in charge in the state, saying that he had a peaceful stay in Rivers and was leaving in peace.
He urged officers of the command, Rivers people, and the media to give the new CP, Adepoju, all the necessary support to enable him to succeed in policing Rivers State.
In his response, the new Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, thanked his predecessor, AIG Mustapha Bala, for his fatherly disposition and invaluable counsel and guidance during his stay.
CP Adepoju said, “On behalf of officers and men of the command, I express my gratitude to AIG Bala.
He has seen us through a lot. He has shown exceptional leadership.
We enjoyed his stay in Rivers.”
