For his proactive community engagement and prompt citizen’s response, the DPO of MANCENTER division, CSP Ayo Elijah was passionately praised by members of the Ikeja community where he currently serves. This was during the familiarization visit of the 41st Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command CP Moshood Jimoh to the Area F Police Command, Ikeja, the area where the ManCenter Division is domiciled.
On this special visit, the CP was accompanied by the LSSTF Board Member, Dr. Ayo Ogunsan and his Police management team such as DCP (Ops), DCP Fatai Tijani, DCP (Finance and Admin), DCP Khan Saliu Usman, ACP (Ops), ACP Olusola Oyewole, and the Police PRO, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin.
He was received by the Area F Police Commander, ACP Paul Okafor, all DPOs under the jurisdiction, Vice Chairman of Ojodu LCDA, Hon. Bunmi Oluyadi; Special Adviser (Arewa matters) to Ikeja LGA Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Adamu; Royal fathers, Seriki of Ikeja; PCRC Area F leaders and members such as Oyeniyi Oluwaniyi, who is the Chairman of the PCRC Alausa Division, Elder Samuel Akande, Chairman of the PCRC Ojodu Division, the Arewa community, the Igbo community, and other security stakeholders in Ikeja, Lagos.While acknowledging the Area F Police Commander, ACP Paul Azuka Okafor as ‘authentic Area Commander’, the CP commended the DPOs under the area command for co-operating with their Area Commander.
Of special note, the Commissioner of Police who resumed in Lagos on 18th February 2025, CP Moshood Jimoh noted the cordiality which exists between the DPOs in Area F in particular and the PCRC in their communities. He revealed that ‘Unlike other States, where PCRC leaders would write various petitions against the DPOs because of disagreement and communication issues, you are better. I specifically thank the National Chairman of the PCRC, Alhaji Mogaji for the roles that the PCRC played before, during and after the EndSARS issue. The PCRC were the ones in the forefront of engaging the communities.’
To accentuate the stance of the CP, the Arewa community in Ikeja led by their leaders, Seriki Hausawa, Ikeja, Mallam Musa Abdullah; District Head, Anifowoshe, Aliyu Ibrahim; Secretary, Arewa Community, Mohammed M. Umar; Adviser, Danjuma Mohammed; Treasurer, Ali Mohamed, and Assistant Secretary, Abdul Ibrahim were vociferous in their acknowledgement of thepeaceful coexistence and community building style deployed by the DPO of the ManCenter division, CSP Ayo Elijah.
The Special Adviser (Arewa matters) to Ikeja LGA Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Adamu speaking on behalf of the Arewa community commended the DPO of MANCENTER division, CSP Ayo Elijah for enthroning community policing ideals and championing a pro-community stance in all of his activities.
He hinted: ‘There is a serious and good relationship between the Arewa community and the DPO in ManCenter Police Station, CSP Ayo Elijah. For instance, in the Arewa community, there was a time when drug abuse was a serious problem to us. We have been having different DPOs before him which we always report to them but we have not seen a result. But the current DPO has helped us tackle many of these challenges and there’s peace in the community now.
The Arewa community in Ikeja is drug-free now. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the DPO of ManCenter Police station. I would really appreciate that.’
Adamu added: ‘Also, I would like to thank him because he is not like other DPOs in the past that their communication is very poor. When anything happens, my people will come to me, because I’m the Special Adviser (SA) to the Chairman of Ikeja Local Government on Arewa Matters. They will come to my office, they will come to my business place and complain to me. Now that we have this DPO, things are different. It has never been so, I have been living in Lagos for 24 years now, so I know a lot of things happening in Ikeja.’
The structure of Area F Police Command comprises 9 divisions. The divisions are Ikeja, Alausa, Ojodu, Makinde, ManCenter, Akinpelu, Shogunle, Mosafejo, and Ilupeju, with four police posts.
It is worthy of note that last week, the DPO of ManCenter division, CSP Ayo Elijah was named The Pride Newspaper Most Outstanding DPO of the Year. He also won the prestigious Trek Africa Awards as the Trek Africa Best DPO of the Year 2024 last December, 2024. It is believed that the MAN Center’s DPO, CSP Ayo Elijah will not rest on his oars to promote the ideals of community policing in his policing job.