Journalists covering crime under the auspices of Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) have consoled the family of the late Tafa Balogun, a retired Inspector-General of Police.
The former Police boss died on Thursday at Reddington Hospital, Lagos, at the age of 75.
This is contained in a statement issued on Friday in Lagos by CRAN President, Olalekan Olabulor.
The journalists in the statement said that Balogun’s demise came as a rude shock to all.
It consoles the family and urged them to take solace in the fact that death was a debt owed.
The statement said that under the command of Balogun, ‘Operation Fire for Fire’ was launched to arrest growing banditry and cross-border robbery.
According to the statement, the deceased ended the reign of the notorious cross-border terror, Hammani Tijani, who was based in the Republic of Benin.
“Undoubtedly, he will be sorely missed by CRAN members and we pray for comfort for the family he left behind,” it said.
The statement further said that the late Balogun was a cop par excellence whose service recorded in the police yielded tangible results, especially in the area of welfare and promotion of personnel.
“Given the nature of our job as crime reporters, we had cause to interface with him and he was very receptive and truly cared for our welfare even as IGP.
“Despite that his service termination came as a shock, he still commanded respect among police officers who often described his administration as “the best IGP” of all times.
“The reason is not far-fetched; the late Balogun was a welfarist who beyond the gruff and tough exterior, valued the welfare of officers and men,” it said.
CRAN in the statement pointed out that Balogun dedicated his retirement years to clamour for community policing, stressing the need to strengthen the traditional institution to boost internal security operations.