Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Training and Development at the Force Headquarters, Frank Mba, has voluntarily retired from the Nigeria Police Force after 34 years of service.
Mba’s exit comes amid a wave of leadership changes within the force following the retirement of former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and the appointment of IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu as the new head of the Nigeria Police.
The New Diplomat had reported that Mba, alongside other senior police officers could retire following Disu’s appointment in line with long established tradition of the police force.
Mba, it was gathered, retired alongside eight others whose identities have not been revealed as at the time of writing.
Mba, a former Force Public Relations Officer and spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, joined the Nigeria Police Force in May 1992 as a cadet officer. He distinguished himself early in his career, graduating as the best cadet in academics from the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano.
A member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mba obtained his law degree from the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002 after completing his training at the Nigerian Law School in Abuja. He later earned a Master’s degree in Law with distinction from the University of Dundee in Scotland.
Over the course of his career, he also participated in several international professional programmes, including the FBI National Academy in Quantico, United States, as well as leadership courses at Harvard University and the University of Oxford.
Mba also represented Nigeria in international assignments, including a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia between 2006 and 2007.
Throughout his service, he held several strategic roles across operations, investigations, administration and public relations. His postings included Area Commander in Ajah and Festac in Lagos, Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Commissioner of Police in charge of the Border Patrol Force at Force Headquarters, and Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Panti, Lagos.
In a farewell message, Mba expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the opportunity to serve the nation.
“I am deeply grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the privilege of serving our great nation during his administration. The confidence reposed in the Nigeria Police leadership and the support given to the institution during this period have been invaluable,” he said.
“It has been a great honour for me to contribute my quota to the security and stability of our country.”
He also thanked Nigerians for their support throughout his years in service. “Policing is a difficult but noble profession, and whatever success we recorded was made possible by the understanding and support of Nigerians. I leave the service with a heart full of gratitude and pride for having had the opportunity to serve,” Mba added.
Meanwhile, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has invited seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) for promotion interviews to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), as part of efforts to strengthen the Force Management Team that will work with the new Inspector-General.
The officers invited for the promotion exercise are Margareth Ochalla, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, Ishiaku Mohammed, Zacharia Fera Achinyan, Zango Ibrahim Baba, Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman and Umar Shehu Nadada.
According to the PSC, the officers are expected to appear before the commission for screening at its headquarters on Friday
