The outgoing Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye has said he would not wish for an extra day in office as a police officer, after his retirement.
CP Adeoye, who had his pull-out parade from the Police Force, held at the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, over the weekend, is due to retire from the force on Tuesday.
He was posted to Anambra State in June 2023 and had served 35 years in the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking with newsmen in a valedictory press conference at the Police headquarters in Awka on Monday, CP Adeoye said it has been an action-packed 35 years of meritorious service to the Force and he is eagerly looking forward to regaining his freedom.
Insisting that he was badly used by the Force, Adeoye however said he has no regret joining the Force, where he said he had given his best.
“Every moment of my service was action-packed, rewarding, and entertaining and I do not deserve an extra day as a police officer, after my retirement.
“I will not operate a security or consultancy firm because it will be subjecting yourself to another endless run of stress. Any business I would have to bear the liabilities of people is not for me.
“I want to do something entirely different.
“The Nigeria Police Force used me maximally, deploying me for numerous critical missions.
“I was endangered many times, faced death that I survived just by providence, and suffered many other ugly experiences.
“The mission in which we overran a gun-running syndicate in the Niger Delta and recovered over 50 military weapons, was a near-death experience that I would always be thankful to God for.
“But I signed up for the job and I have no regrets.
“If for anything, I am happy that I laid my life on the line for my country and God spared me after it all,” he said.
The outgoing CP who also addressed concerns over media reports that claimed he had investments worth over N20 billion, revealed that he was referring to a business consortium he formed in collaboration with numerous other businessmen.
He further spoke on his journey to financial freedom, even as a police officer, insisting that investment in the stock exchange and real estate was his saving grace.
“I got introduced to investment as an undergraduate and that was how I understood what it means to build capital.
“When I now graduated and two weeks after my NYSC, I joined the Police force.
“The first salary I received as a Police officer, I used it to buy shares.
“From that day till now, I never stopped investing.
“When I was serving in Ethiopia for five years, my salary was very handsome, an equivalent of about five million a month. I invested a huge amount of that salary over five years and by the time I came back, I had over a hundred million naira, saved over the years.
“I invested N35 million naira in shares, and that doubled in less than 3 months.
“After that, I started diversifying the gains of stock exchange into real estate and that was the secret of my financial freedom,” he narrated.
Addressing serving police officers on how to run a dent-free career in the Force, Adeoye advised them to diversify savings from their salaries into investments.
According to him, “When you have enough earnings, you will not have need to steal as a public office holder.
“If your earnings are higher than your expenses, you will have little or no urge as a police officer to steal or engage in corrupt practices.”
The outgoing CP who recalled with mixed feelings, his years of service in Anambra state, described the state and its people as quite hospitable and receptive.
According to him, the successes he recorded in the state were due to the support and cooperation of the government and the people of the state.
“Anambra people’s cooperation ensured my success in the state.
“It’s been a wonderful experience working in Anambra State.
“I believe this is my second home.
“At my pull-out parade, the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim dubbed me a citizen of the state and on Sunday, the Traditional Ruler of Ogbunka in Orumba South Council Area of the State, Igwe J.M. Anyaoha conferred on me the chieftaincy title of DIke-Ochioha 1 of Ogbunka Kingdom.
“So I am a bonafide citizen of Anambra now,” he said.
Speaking on sundry issues, CP Adeoye maintained that Nigerians cannot afford to surrender the country to the hands of those who would continue to draw the nation backward.
“When the time comes, Nigerians must come together to take back their nation.
“If the country is better, it will benefit everybody. We will no longer have this challenge of brain drain due to migration (japa syndrome).
“Nigerians must commit to working for the growth and development of the nation.
“It will not be a smooth ride but with doggedness and faith, we can achieve that,” he enthused.
