EKO HOT BLOG reports that Mustapha Balogun, (25 August 1947 – 4 August 2022) popularly known as kumawu, was a Nigerian police officer, and a former Inspector-General of Police from March 2002, but was forced to retire because of widespread charges of corruption in January 2005.
Mustafa Adebayo Balogun was Born in August 25, 1947, in Ila Orangun, Osun State.
He attended the University of Lagos, graduating in 1972 with a B.A. in Political Science. He joined the Nigeria Police Force in May 1973. While a police officer, he gained a law degree from the University of Ibadan. After working in various positions around the country, he became Principal Staff Officer to former Inspector-General of Police, Muhammadu Gambo, then Deputy Commissioner of Police in Edo State, and then Commissioner of Police first in Delta State and then in Rivers State and Abia State.
He was appointed Assistant Inspector General of Police in A.I.G. Zone One Kano, the position he held when promoted to Inspector General of Police on 6 March 2002.
In November 2001, as A.I.G., Tafa Balogun reassured reporters that there were provisions to ensure the safety of businessmen in Nigeria through the outfit called Diplomatic Corp and Foreign National Protection Unit.
Former IGP, Tafa Balogun, walking past the Ogwugwu-Akpu shrine after he inspected corpses that littered the acclaimed evil forest of Umuhu in Okija, 18 August 2004. PHOTO: Getty Images
Tafa Balogun was the 21st Inspector-General of Police. He was a member of cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Course 3. Having worked in various Police commands throughout the federation, and earning his promotions as when due, Tafa, was at a time, the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to former Inspector-General of Police, Muhammadu Gambo, Deputy Commission of Police Edo State, the pioneer Commissioner of Police in Delta State. He was also CP in Rivers and Abia states.
Tafa, a fellow of the premier highest military institution in Nigeria, the National War College, later became the Assistant Inspector General of Police A.I.G Zone One, Kano, from where he was named the 21st IGP of Police on March 6, 2002.
His infamous trial drew global attention in 2005. On April 4, 2005, Tafa Balogun was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja for stealing and laundering over $100 million in his three years as Inspector General of Police from the Police treasury.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Nuhu Ribadu brought 70 charges against him, covering the period from 2002 to 2004 when he was the Inspector General of Police. He made a plea bargain with the court in exchange for returning much of the property and money. He was sentenced to six months in jail.
Judge Binta Nyako said her sentence reflected that Balogun was the first offender and had shown remorse. He was directed by the court to pay N500, 000 on each of eight counts of charges totalling N4 million.
His trial was full of drama. One of such was when he collapsed on his seat on June 29, 2005, at the Abuja High Court.
The former police boss, who pleaded guilty to eight of the 56 count charges directly affecting him, was convicted and sentenced to six months in each of the charges, which is however to run concurrently.
He was released on February 9, 2006, after serving his sentence, part of it at Abuja’s National Hospital.
In November 2008 and again in February 2009, the Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, Abdul Ahmed Ningi, asked the Inspector General of Police Mike Okiro, to provide details of the money recovered from Tafa Balogun, a request that he passed on to the EFCC chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri.
However, the EFCC stated that they did not have records of the exact properties recovered from Balogun. It was said that some of the houses had been secretly sold to certain individuals at give-away prices.
In April 2009, the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs invited Tafa Balogun, Mike Okiro and Mrs Farida Waziri to explain how the N16 billion allegedly recovered from Balogun went missing.
A former Inspector-General of Police, Mustapha Balogun, died at a hospital in Lekki, Lagos at about 8:30 pm on Thursday, 4th August 2022 during a brief illness, according to family sources.
His net worth is not available at the moment.
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