A former Inspector-General of Police, Mustapha Balogun, who served as Nigeria’s top police chief between 2002 and 2004, has died. A family associate told Easterner Mr Balogun (popularly known as Tafa Balogun), 74, was rushed to a hospital in Lagos where he passed on Thursday evening. The former IGP would have been 75 on Monday.
Appointed IGP by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr Balogun was eased out of office after two years and was charged with stealing and money laundering by the EFCC. An Abuja Division of the Federal High Court convicted Mr Balogun in 2005 after a plea bargain and sentenced him to six months in prison.
The judge, Binta Nyako, also ordered him to return N4 million to the Nigerian government. Mr Balogun was the 21st Inspector-General of Police and replaced Musiliu Smith in March 2002. He was in charge of the police during the 2003 general elections which were “marred by serious incidents of violence, which left scores dead and many others injured,” according to Human Rights Watch.
