CP Ishola Olanrewaju: Short Stay, Big Impact

February 20 11:22 2025 by The Ajasa News Print This Article

By Odita Sunday

CP Ishola Olanrewaju’s tenure as the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State was nothing short of sterling and memorable.

Despite his relatively short stay, he left an indelible mark on the command as a dogged crime fighter and astute cop.

As the 40th Commissioner of Police in Lagos, CP Ishola brought with him a wealth of experience and expertise garnered from his over two decades of service in the Nigeria Police Force.

His impressive testimonials, which includes a degree in Geography and an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Ibadan, spoke to his intellectual depth and capacity.

During his time in office, CP Ishola demonstrated unwavering commitment to his duty, ensuring that the Lagos State Police Command operated with maximum professionalism and efficiency. He upped the ante in community policing by engaging with various stakeholders, including protest organizers, to ensure a safe and secure environment for all Lagosians. His leadership style was characterized by a proactive approach, always seeking innovative solutions to the complex challenges facing the command.

One of CP Ishola’s most significant achievements was his ability to foster a sense of community and cooperation between the police and the public. He was indeed, a People-Centric super cop.

Soon on assumption of office, months ago, he clearly stated where he was headed as he took time to tell journalists at his inaugural media briefing, during which he paraded 98 suspected criminals that he intended to partner road transport unions to tackle “one-chance” robberies in the state, emphasizing a proactive approach to dismantling criminal networks across the state. He made it clear that to ensure public safety, all commercial buses in Lagos State would be tagged and easily identifiable, so that passengers would know exactly which bus they are boarding at any time. “Whoever enters a bus must know the bus they are boarding,” he said, highlighting the importance of this initiative in ensuring public safety.

Obviously, walking his talk, CP Ishola had hit the ground running within a few days of assumption of office as the Police boss in Lagos. Under his watch, several policing operations had taken place and these resulted in the arrest of suspects involved in various crimes, including armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping, and drug trafficking. Significant seizures were made, including weapons, narcotics, stolen goods, firearms, ammunition, $402 in cash, and 39 bags of stolen rice. The effort he made was a confirmation of his promise to be “fair and firm” in his handling of the state police command.

CP Ishola Olanrewaju is a time-tested, cerebral and operational officer whose records in the Nigeria Police Force remain as crispy as new currency note. He had enlisted in the Force as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in 1992 after undergoing through the pre-enlistment training at Nigeria’s prestigious Police Academy, Wudil Kano. Prior to his enlistment in the police, he had studied Geography at the University of Ibadan and graduated with a Bachelors of Science (BSc) degree.

Since his enlistment in the Nigeria Police Force, he had attended several professional trainings and educational pursuits. He was at the University of Ibadan for a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Urban and Regional Planning. He participated in Strategic Leadership and Command Course, at the National Institute of Police Studies, Abuja. He has also attended Tactical Leadership and Command Course, Police Staff College Jos. He has served in numerous key positions, both in operational and administrative capacities, where he ensured law and order in some of the most challenging environments.

Between January 1996 and July 2002 he was in the 20 PMF (Police Mobile Force) Ikeja as Unit commander and second-in-charge (2i/c) as Squadron commander. from August 2002 to July 2005. He was second in charge (2i/c) as Squadron Commander at 23 PMF Lagos. Due to his cerebral nature and erudition, he was posted to several police training institutions beginning with Detective College, Enugu where he served in 2011. In 2013, he taught at the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano and from 2019 to 2021, he was at the Police Staff College, Jos, Plateau State.

Operationally, he had headed police divisions across some states of the Federation. At a time, he was the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Sabongida Ora in Edo State, later deployed to Igueben Division as the DPO before he was posted to Igbeba Division in Ogun State as the DPO. He also served as the DPO at Ibara Division in Ogun State. Aptly described in some quarters as a serial and veteran Divisional Police Officer while serving in Lagos, Ishola at different times was the DPO of no fewer than seven divisions in Lagos State which is considered one of the most volatile states in terms of policing. These Divisions included Gowon Estate, Ibeju Lekki Elemoro, Ajah, Trinity, Apapa, Ajao Estate and Mushin.

His operational astuteness over the years has also ensured his posting as Area Commander in charge of Edo North, Auchi in Edo State at a time and later Area Commander (Area ‘L’) Ilashe, Lagos. This also made it possible for him to be in charge of Operational activities at Zone 2 Headquarters soon as he was elevated to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). On his promotion to the rank of Commissioner of Police, he was posted to take charge of Port Authority Police Command, Western Port, Lagos before he was redeployed to take charge of the Lagos State Police Command.

Married and blessed with children, Ishola’s experience in Lagos obviously spans decades, during which he successfully handled high-stakes situations such as the OPC Idi Araba and Abule Egba crises, where he established himself as a tactical leader with a deep understanding of Lagos’ unique security landscape. He is therefore in a familiar terrain with a belief that he would surpass the average Lagosian’s expectation with respect to people’s oriented policing.

Odita Sunday is the Author of Nigeria’s Silent Heroes and other Books. A Humanitarian and well traveled News Man, Odita Led Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria for Six Years.