By Onuchukwu Hamilton
In line with the activities marking the 2026 National Police Day celebration which comes to climax on the 7th of April, the association of Imo Youth Ambassadors, had last Friday, paid an unexpected solidarity visit to the Imo State Police Anti- kidnap Unit Owerri ( TIGER BASE) and motivated its commander, ACP Oladimeji Adedeyiwa with a Life Patron Award and very remarkable speeches that prove their unwavering support and admiration for the Tiger Base modus operandi in Imo.The youths, led by their President Hon. Amb. Ezinwa Ebuzoama Chibuike Godsend, were warmly received at the Tiger Base reception hall and properly admonished by commander ACP Oladimeji and some principal officers.
Presenting his address and the patron award ,after introducing the 27 LGA officers, student leaders and the State Excos that came with him as members, the President, Amb. Ezinwa revealed that the impromptu visit to the Tiger Base was deliberately arranged as a surprise package to possibly avert bottle necks. He stated that since some of their members, happily testified how Tiger Base officers tactically rescued them from the hands of kidnappers in Imo without collecting a dime, it has been their desire to come and demonstrate their love and to honour commander Ola and his team for the selfless services in dismantling criminal gangs, rescue of hostages, recovering of arms and assets, illegal mortuary discoveries. The president warned criminals and their sponsors to stop peddling false allegations against Tiger Base in the social media. In his words, ” Since the inception of all the false allegations on human rights violation as traded in the social media, the youths of Imo have not seen any evidence of torture and extrajudicial execution, no evidence of extortion, no evidence of unlawful detention, no evidence of missing persons or dead person at the Tiger Base nor evidence of organ trafficking “According to the group President, the Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Oladimeji is being celebrated because ” the Imo Youths have witnessed his impactful style of policing as a well tutored and seasoned officer in the Nigeria Police Force, “ACP Oladimeji has built a reputation for professionalism, discipline, and a strong commitment to community -based policing.
Beyond operational achievements, colleagues describe him as a mentor who encourages professionalism and integrity among younger officers, while maintaining a firm but fair approach to leadership.
ACP Oladimeji represents the model of a modern police officer — disciplined, accessible, and committed to safeguarding lives and property.
It will be recalled, that ACP Oladimeji was decorated at the 1st and 2nd editions of the Nigeria Police Awards and commendations as the crime buster of the year 2023 & 2024 . He was presented with a selfless service award by the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ) South East Zone.
Accepting the award from the Imo youths, the top officers like SP Ofordile and ACP Oladimeji admonished the youths on moral conducts, explained some of the major achievements like the new state of the art offices, charge rooms and well designed specious cells and credited them to the Police Authorities, the State Government and good cooperation between the Police and the public.
ACP Ola further appealed to the youths to shun acts capable of breaching peace and security in the state.
