Christopher Oji

Oriyomi Titilayo, a Chief Superintendent of Police and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ilasamaja Division, Lagos State Police Command, is no stranger when it comes to cracking serious crimes. She and her team have been able to tame the rising menace of cultism resulting in killings in the community, as she cracked down on the leaders of different confraternities in Ilasamaja and its environs.

Recently, Oriyomi arrested a 20-year-old assassin, Mariam, who allegedly killed for a secret cult; she also led a team of police officers to arrest some illegal dealers of petroleum products in Lagos.

According to Oriyomi, she was privileged to serve under the current Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal. She has won several awards both within and outside the country including some from the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria.

In Gambia, recently, where she was honoured by Security Watch Africa as the Best Female DPO in Africa, Oriyomi went down memery lane with Daily Sun on her experiences and how her background prepared her for the tough tasks in the police.

What was growing up like?

I did not grow up with my parents. I grew up with my father’s family. At age three, according to the story I was told, my father’s relation came to visit my family, when he was about to leave, I started crying and followed him.

When he brought me back after some weeks, another relative came and I also followed him home.

I practically grew up with my father’s family but the one I cherished the most and stayed with was the one in Mushin, Elder Abiodun Adekunle Joseph. He is like a father to me. I was an introvert and didn’t mingle with people. I stayed on my own and, whenever I was in that mood, my uncle would come and appeal to me to mix up. It was difficult for me. My uncle raised me as his own biological child and treated me as such.

Whenever I was scolded, I would withdraw into my shell. I was a little bit heady but my uncle knew how to manage my mood swings to shape me and become a woman with charisma.

My uncle is a furniture maker. I also have some experience in that field because having learnt from him. I can make furniture to some extent.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

What informed your decision to join the Nigeria Police Force?

My uncle contributed to that. He had friends in the military and admired the profession. He wanted me to become a uniformed person. So, he made enquiries from those he knew, telling them that his daughter wanted to join the force. Fortunately for me, the form for police recruitment was out and I met the necessary requirements. I went to the Police Academy. The plan for me to join the Nigeria Police was my uncle’s idea. He influenced and motivated me.

You have a record of cracking serious crimes. What is your source of strength?

God is my strength. I believe in the blessings of God. He blesses the works of people who keep their hands clean. I am the handmaid of God and He has instructed me to use my position as policewoman to restore sanity in any community where I find myself in the course of the job. Cracking down on crime involves a whole lot. It involves resources, cash, time and energy, which must be invested to produce results. I am always curious about things. As an intelligence officer, you must first study the jurisdiction properly. The training instilled in me is to be very confident in my abilities and believe that what a man can do, a woman can do it even better. 

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Sometimes, I hear people say ‘she is a woman;’ but the training was able to provide me with what I needed to balance competing priorities and deal with demanding situations calmly and rationally. They call me Iron Lady because I dare where men cannot. What men could not do in Ilasamaja Division, I am doing it. I have cleansed the area of armed robbery, kidnapping and the most worrisome problem, cultism. I fought these crimes to a standstill. My three-year stint in Ilasamaja has been like a decade to hoodlums. They are praying every day that I should be transferred out. 

Whenever there is a societal menace, committed officers ensure they get involved even after delegating the jobs to other officers. They don’t go to sleep. The police is structured across administrative, authority and organisation. A leader must possess certain skills to ensure the job is effective. 

Dedication to the job is also part of me. Although I have won several awards, beyond that, I am passionate about my job.

I also make use of community policing. I have made up my mind to bring sanity to wherever I am posted to serve. The profession is a male-dominated but, as a woman, for you to achieve much, you must earn it. In the training school, the task was never differentiated. It was same exercise, though female police face fewer complaints from the public than men. We don’t unnecessarily use physical force when arresting somebody. 

Could you share some memorable moments as the DPO of Ilasamaja?

On arrival, I introduced community policing. I met with the community leaders. I had a town hall meeting with the community because crime was a serious issue in Ilasamaja then. I pleaded with them to speak with their children because they were aware that the heinous crimes being committed in the area were not perpetrated by outsiders. I cried while speaking to them because I knew what I was going to do to criminals. They felt that I was emotional because I was a woman and all my appeals were taken for granted. I went back to the office and carried out research on the list of wanted persons involved in crime. I kept my ears close to the ground.

At first, the people felt it would be business as usual. I did the facelift of the station and they were rejoicing, saying, what could a woman do other than beautification of the station? Then I started with violence based on sexual assault, which was prominent then.

Children were traumatised. I was able to crack down on serial rapists and eradicated rape cases in the division.

I moved on to armed robbery and I defeated robbery, both house-to-house raiding and traffic robbery, because the expressway was bad. I later discovered illegal oil wells in the area. I wept when I discovered houses where oil was being fetched like water. The people tried to bribe me to cooperate with them but I contacted the police authorities, who contacted the appropriate government agencies, and the places were sealed. The people tried to blackmail me but when they saw that I was not moved and that my superiors were behind me, they had to key into my crime-fighting strategy, which is community policing.

They are cooperating with me now, in the area of information from members of the public.

There was a breakthrough in July, where I was able to nab a 20-year-old girl, Mariam, who killed her targets while wearing white hijab. From her confessional statement, I was able to pick Emeka, head of Aiye confraternity, Sodiq, head of Eiye, and their native doctor. I rounded up many of them that were wanted. I have sanitised Ilasmaja.

There is no fear anymore, and people now sleep with their two eyes closed.

What is your advice to residents?

The business of security involves everybody. Security is a big challenge in the country. Bombings, kidnapping and other violent activities have prevented many Nigerians from feeling safe. The war should be taken to the doorsteps of those involved in crime. We need their identities. 

If a criminal knows that the police have his or her profile or identity, he would be cautious. 

I would use the case of Badoo in Ikorodu, Lagos, as an example. It was as if there was no progress because all the methods employed by the security agencies were fruitless, but when the CP led the war after intelligence gathering, the fight was taken to their doorstep.