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“My Unforgettable Experience As a Police Officer” – Lagos PPRO, Badmus shares touching story
Dolapo Opeyemi Badmus a Superintendent of Police (SP) has been appointed as the new Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Lagos State Police Command. She replaced Joseph Offor who has been in the saddle. The new PPRO joined the force on 15 August 2002, as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (course 21 batch) trained at Police Academy, Wudil, Kano.
She is a graduate of Accounting and also a post-graduate degree holder in Public Administration.
Badmus has served in various capacities since she joined the force. She was once Aide de camp to number 4 citizen of Nigeria, Divisional Traffic Officer (DTO) Alakuko and until now she was the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Isokoko Division, Agege. Her appointment was announced on 8 January, 2016.
Badmus is married and has children. In a chat with Sahara Weekly, she opened up on her career and life
As spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, how do intend to sustain the relationship between the police and members of the public?
Like I do tell people, as the spokesperson, I see myself as a bridge linking the public to the police and vice-versa, and if you think on that line, you will know that there is going to be a cordial relationship when the inflow and outflow correspond, and basically that is what I want to do. So it depends on the members of the public to judge our performance. But we are going to work effectively and we shall meet all expectations.
For every glory, there is a story to tell. Personally, what are the challenges since you took up the post?
I don’t want to say I’ve any challenge because, for my own organisation, there are things expected of you; there are laid-down rules and regulations. It’s just a matter of you abiding by them and you will flow. Although there might be obstacles, I don’t want to see anything as obstacle because it is my own job, I have passion for it. Basically, I don’t see anything that is too hard to deal with.
You assumed office of the PPRO some months ago; what can you say are the Command’s major challenges in combating crime?
It’s the Nigeria Police Force; an organisation set up to combat crime. There are rules of engagement when you are combating crime. I think we’ve been able to surmount what we take as a problem, security-wise. If you follow the trend of events, just like the Governor said at the town hall meeting, the crime rate in Lagos has reduced to 65% and I think we are getting there. The logistics released by the Lagos State Government late last year is also helping out. We can now combat crime on air, sea, and on ground and the only thing I think is slowing us down is the public not coming out to give us that information. You will agree with me that law enforcement agencies overseas are excelling because they get information and that is why we are telling the public to come out to give us information.
I found out that when people have information, they prefer to put it on social media, and they think that is where the solution lies. No! Some will say if they give information to the police, they will be sold out No! The mentality of our men, because of the leadership of the organization, now has changed and there are so many platforms you can give information to the police without being known. If you call into our control room, no one will ask you who is speaking. The farthest question they can ask is to know where you are calling from so they can know where it is happening. We also have Police smart application on google right now. You can pass any information from there. If you are in distress, you can send distress call from there. Basically, I want everyone to give information to the police and they should rather report incidents to police rather than social media because if it’s not reported to the police, it won’t be recorded, and if there is no record that such incident happened, how do we combat it? It’s a cycle and we still want members of the public to talk to the police directly so that we can achieve.
As a follow-up to what you said, recently something happened and I was telling the person that he should go and report to the area command and he was like, if he should go, even as a complainant, at the end of the day he would be asked to bail himself. And bail isn’t free in Nigeria and this thing is happening every day. What’s your take on this?
My take on this is that in the Police Force, under the leadership of the IGP, and Lagos State Command under the Commissioner of Police, Al-Fatai Owoseni, bail is free. If you ever go to any division, even as a complainant, if anyone asks anything from you, text the IGP; that is why he distributed his phone number. People should get up. We created a unit, Corporate Response Unit, CRU. We have distributed flyers to educate people on how to channel any complaints they have. The only thing we are telling members of the public is that they should get beyond sitting down, talking and complaining. Why can’t we move into action by reporting? It is only when people have acted and there is no corresponding action, then people should complain to the authority and see if there won’t be action. As at now, the leadership isn’t aware that bail isn’t free in some places because nobody has ever complained. And at the same time, we want to implore members of the public that they shouldn’t give money.
There is a popular belief that Nigerians lack maintenance culture and recently, government gave some equipment to the Police Force. To what extent has the equipment helped? And what are the maintenance measures?
The equipment has gone a long way in combating crime, in fighting criminalities. During the festive period last year, you saw that there was no serious incident. And about the maintenance measures, a lot has been put in place. Starting from the fueling, the command is filling it; the NPF has a workshop where the cars are been serviced and the Command CP has orientated those handling it on how to be conscious and cautious while using it.
The issue of extra-judicial killings by some of your men has raised a lot of concern. What is the Command doing to curb this?
For every misbehaviour, there is a specific punishment. What the Command is doing about that is that if you commit such an offence, you are dealt with according to the law of the Police Force, and according to the laws of the country. If you have taken a life, you will face it. The police isn’t going to hide you because you have been trained; and if you decide to go against the law, you will face it. If you as a member of the police misbehave, you are on your own. We are re-orientating them that they are to protect life and property, not to snuff out lives.
Interestingly, you are cool and calm, and a lot of people wonder what led you to joining the Police Force…
Well, the Police Force isn’t for the crooks, the rugged. The police need people that are calm, cool but at the same time, firm. Personally, I have ever wanted to be a medical doctor because I want to save lives and rescue people, but as the saying goes: Man proposes, God disposes. I think being in the Police Force is even far more of a duty than a doctor. I’m still in line with what I dreamt of. I’ll say it’s by the grace of God.
Can you tell us about an unforgettable experience since you joined the Police Force?
There are so many but as a police officer, you are not meant to be emotionally down. You are bound to see a lot but your ability to stand firm is what makes you a trained officer. But I would like to say there was one that actually brought tears to my eyes; that was when I was a DPO in Isokoko. That will be an unforgettable experience for me. It made me shed tears.
It was the story of a three-year-old girl living with her aunt. The aunt had been married for 10 years but had no child, and there is a belief that if a child comes live with you, his or her head will bring another one up.
This girl went through lot of beating, and the saddest one was when the woman said the three-year-old girl passed excreta on the bed around 1 a.m. and the aunt said: ‘Don’t you know you are no more a baby?’ The woman started beating her till daybreak. The most painful thing was that in the morning when she continued the beating, she hit her head on the wall and the girl passed out, just for her to wake up in the hospital; she couldn’t talk, she couldn’t use her limbs, she couldn’t walk again and after some time, they couldn’t get money to pay hospital bill and they had to take the girl back home. She couldn’t talk again, so the landlord had to come and report the case. We rescued the child and at the sight of her, I wept like a baby because that is the highest level of inhumanity. We called the Lagos State Government and the girl was taken care of. I made sure the woman faced the wrath of the law. I charged her to court against all odds. And even when the family members and the mother of the girl came all the way from their village to beg, we resisted. The woman is still under prison custody up till now and the girl has been taken over by the LASG.
That was touching! Can you tell us how growing up was like for you, because a lot of people want to know?
Growing up was beautiful. I’m the second of six children. My mom was a disciplinarian and my father was a gentleman. I think I carved a niche for news from him. He is a man of news. You don’t watch any other thing when it’s time for news. He doesn’t joke with his newspapers and magazines. He opened my eyes to news. I grew up like every normal girl. My mom was a teacher so I grew up with a disciplinary mother and a subtle father. It was a beautiful experience.
Many people say the Nigeria Police Force is corrupt. What is your take on this?
It’s a perception. Not everyone will say the NPF is corrupt. Some will still say well about them. Whatever perception we have, why can’t we team up with the NPF so that we can do that which is expected of us. I want us to go beyond lamentation, to the level of action. For every 12 disciples, there is a Judas.
If you go to government hospitals, some people will tell you they are corrupt. So it’s your experience that will make you talk. The question is, are we doing anything to curb every form of menace? If the leadership is doing something, we need to move from lamenting and be hopeful. The question we should be asking is, what are the people at the helm of affairs doing even if there is corruption? Are they fighting it? We should dwell more on what they are doing than what they have done wrong in the past.
What do you intend to do to combat the issue of rape?
There is no increase of rape from all indications, but we cannot wish it away, that there is no rape. Let me tell you what the Lagos State Command is doing to curb the issue. In the Command, we have four divisions, apart from the Lagos state CID, Panti. We map out four divisions where we have our men specifically trained to attend to issues of gender and sexual-based violence like rape, domestic violence, stabbing of wife, beating of wife, beating of husband. We have Isokoko division in Agege, Ilupeju police division, Adeniji Agbele police station. These are places where if you go with issues like this, they don’t compromise, they know the steps. For you to be sure that you will get whatever is supposed to be done, we have referrals to those divisions, we have medical organisations that can partner with the police to prove the offence of rape. So we want people to be aware that there are specific divisions. You can report to any of them.
What should Lagosians expect from your Command in the next one year?
In the next one year, they will be more secure than they are today because we are stepping up our own game of protection of life and property. Members of the public should also partner with the police .
Partnering with us – giving us information, giving us prompt report – will also help us to build on what we are doing. In the next one year, Lagosians will look back in Lagos State and say crime has been reduced to the barest minimum.
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Deadline of Compliance: Nigeria’s Urgent Call for Tax Return Filing
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“Shift or Structural Demand? A Declaration of Civic Duty in a Nation at a Fiscal Crossroads.”
In the unfolding narrative of national development and economic reform, few instruments are as defining as tax compliance. For Nigeria, a nation perpetually grappling with revenue shortfalls, structural dependency on a single export commodity, and entrenched informal economic behaviour, the Federal Government’s recent clarification on tax return deadlines is not mere bureaucratic noise. It is a deliberate and inescapable declaration: the social contract between citizen and state must be honoured through transparent, lawful and timely tax reporting.
At its core, the government’s pronouncement is stark in its simplicity and radical in its implications. Federal authorities, speaking through the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, have made it unequivocally clear that every Nigerian, whether employer or individual taxpayer, must file annual tax returns under the law. This encompasses self-assessment filings by individuals that too many assumed ended once employers deducted pay-as-you-earn taxes from their salaries.
This is not an optional civic suggestion, it is mandatory, backed by statute, and tied to a broader vision of national fiscal responsibility. Citizens can no longer hide behind ignorance, apathy, or false assumptions. “Many people assume that if their employer deducts tax from their salaries, their obligations end there. That is wrong,” Oyedele warned, emphasizing that the obligation to file remains with the individual under both existing and newly reformed tax laws.
The Deadlines and the Reality They Reveal.
Across the federation, state and federal revenue authorities have reaffirmed statutory deadlines in pursuit of compliance. The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, for instance, moved to extend its filing date for employer returns by a narrow window, reflecting the reality that compliance often lags behind legal timelines. The extension was intended not as leniency, but as a pragmatic effort to allow accurate and complete submissions, underscoring that true compliance rises above mere mechanical ticking of a box.
At the federal level, Oyedele’s intervention was even more fundamental. He reminded Nigerians that annual tax returns for the preceding year must be filed in good faith, with integrity and in respect of the law. This applies regardless of income level including low-income earners who have historically believed that they are outside the tax net. “All of us must file our returns, including those earning low income,” he stated.
Herein lies one of the most challenging truths of contemporary Nigerian governance: widespread tax non-compliance is not just a technical breach of law, it is a deep cultural and structural issue that reflects decades of mistrust between citizens and the state.
The Root of the Problem: Non-Compliance as a Symptom.
Nigeria’s tax culture has long been under scrutiny. Public discourse and economic analysis consistently show that a significant majority of eligible taxpayers do not file annual returns. Oyedele highlighted that even in states widely regarded as tax administration leaders, compliance remains strikingly low, often below five percent.
This widespread non-compliance stems from multiple sources:
A long history of weak tax administration systems, where enforcement was inconsistent and penalties were rarely applied.
A perception that public services do not reflect the taxes collected, eroding the citizenry’s belief in reciprocity.
An informal economy where income often goes unrecorded, making filing seem irrelevant or impossible to many.
Lack of awareness, with many Nigerians genuinely believing that tax liability ends with employer deductions.
The government’s renewed push for compliance directly challenges these perceptions. It signals a shift from voluntary or lax compliance to structured accountability, a stance that aligns with best practices in modern public finance.
Why This Matters: Beyond Deadlines.
At its most profound level, the insistence on tax return filings is about nation-building and shared responsibility.
Scholars of public finance universally agree that a robust tax system is the backbone of sustainable development. As the eminent economist Dr. Joseph E. Stiglitz has observed, “A society that cannot mobilize its own resources through fair taxation undermines both its government’s legitimacy and its capacity to provide for its people.” Filing tax returns is not a mere administrative task, it is a declaration of participation in the collective project of national advancement.
In Nigeria’s context, this declaration carries weight. With the enactment of comprehensive tax reforms in recent years (including unified frameworks for tax administration and enforcement) authorities now possess broader statutory tools to ensure compliance and accountability. These measures, which include electronic filing platforms and stronger enforcement powers, have been framed as fair and equitable, targeting efficiency rather than arbitrariness.
Yet the success of these reforms depends heavily on citizens embracing their civic duties with sincerity. And this depends on mutual trust, the belief that paying taxes yields tangible benefits in infrastructure, education, healthcare, security and social services.
Voices From Experts: Fiscal Responsibility as a Public Ethic.
Tax law experts and economists, reflecting on the compliance push, have underscored a universal theme: taxation without transparency is inequity, but taxation with accountability is empowerment. When managed with fairness, a functional tax system can reduce dependency on volatile revenue sources, stabilise national budgets, and support long-term investment in human capital.
Professor Aisha Bello, a respected authority in fiscal policy, notes that “Tax compliance is not a burden; it is the foundation upon which social contracts are built. A citizen who honours tax obligations affirms the legitimacy of governance and demands better performance in return.”
Similarly, a leading tax scholar, Dr. Emeka Okon, argues that “The era when Nigerians could evade broader tax responsibilities simply because automatic deductions occur at source must end. For a modern economy, every eligible citizen must be part of the formal tax fold not as victims, but as stakeholders.”
These authoritative voices point to an unassailable truth: filing tax returns is both a legal requirement and a moral responsibility, an expression of citizenship in its fullest sense.
Challenges on the Ground: Compliance and Capacity.
While the rhetoric of compliance is compelling, the reality on the ground demands nuanced understanding. Many taxpayers (especially in the informal sector) lack meaningful access to digital platforms and resources for filing returns. For others, the fear of bureaucratic complexity and perceived punitive enforcement deters participation.
The government, for its part, has responded by promoting online systems and pledging greater taxpayer support. Tax authorities are increasingly engaging stakeholders to demystify filing processes, explain requirements and offer assistance. This mix of enforcement and facilitation is essential. As one seasoned revenue specialist observed: “The state cannot compel compliance through force alone; it must earn it through education, simplicity and fairness.”
The Broader Implication: A New Social Compact.
Ultimately, Nigeria’s renewed emphasis on tax return filing transcends administrative deadlines. It is an unequivocal declaration that national development is a shared responsibility, that citizens and state must engage in a transparent, accountable, and reciprocal relationship.
Tax compliance, therefore, becomes far more than a legal act; it becomes a moral claim on the nation’s future.
When citizens file their returns honestly, they affirm their stake in the nation’s destiny. When the government collects taxes transparently and deploys them effectively, it strengthens not only public services but civic trust itself.
In this sense, the deadlines proclaimed by Nigeria’s fiscal authorities mark not an end but a beginning; the beginning of a civic epoch in which accountability replaces apathy, participation replaces indifference and national purpose triumphs over fragmentation.
The road ahead will not be easy. But in demanding compliance, Nigeria is demanding more than tax returns. It is demanding commitment and that, ultimately, is the foundation on which nations are built.
BUA Foods Records 91% Surge in Profit After Tax, Hits ₦508bn in 2025
By femi Oyewale
Business
Adron Homes Unveils “Love for Love” Valentine Promo with Exciting Discounts, Luxury Gifts, and Travel Rewards
Adron Homes Unveils “Love for Love” Valentine Promo with Exciting Discounts, Luxury Gifts, and Travel Rewards
In celebration of the season of love, Adron Homes and Properties has announced the launch of its special Valentine campaign, “Love for Love” Promo, a customer-centric initiative designed to reward Nigerians who choose to express love through smart, lasting real estate investments.
The Love for Love Promo offers clients attractive discounts, flexible payment options, and an array of exclusive gift items, reinforcing Adron Homes’ commitment to making property ownership both rewarding and accessible. The campaign runs throughout the Valentine season and applies to the company’s wide portfolio of estates and housing projects strategically located across Nigeria.
Speaking on the promo, the company’s Managing Director, Mrs Adenike Ajobo, stated that the initiative is aimed at encouraging individuals and families to move beyond conventional Valentine gifts by investing in assets that secure their future. According to the company, love is best demonstrated through stability, legacy, and long-term value—principles that real estate ownership represents.
Under the promo structure, clients who make a payment of ₦100,000 receive cake, chocolates, and a bottle of wine, while those who pay ₦200,000 are rewarded with a Love Hamper. Payments of ₦500,000 attract a Love Hamper plus cake, and clients who pay ₦1,000,000 enjoy a choice of a Samsung phone or a Love Hamper with cake.
The rewards become increasingly premium as commitment grows. Clients who pay ₦5,000,000 receive either an iPad or an all-expenses-paid romantic getaway for a couple at one of Nigeria’s finest hotels, which includes two nights’ accommodation, special treats, and a Love Hamper. A payment of ₦10,000,000 comes with a choice of a Samsung Z Fold 7, three nights at a top-tier resort in Nigeria, or a full solar power installation.
For high-value investors, the Love for Love Promo delivers exceptional lifestyle experiences. Clients who pay ₦30,000,000 on land are rewarded with a three-night couple’s trip to Doha, Qatar, or South Africa, while purchasers of any Adron Homes house valued at ₦50,000,000 receive a double-door refrigerator.
The promo covers Adron Homes’ estates located in Lagos, Shimawa, Sagamu, Atan–Ota, Papalanto, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Osun, Ekiti, Abuja, Nasarawa, and Niger States, offering clients the opportunity to invest in fast-growing, strategically positioned communities nationwide.
Adron Homes reiterated that beyond the incentives, the campaign underscores the company’s strong reputation for secure land titles, affordable pricing, strategic locations, and a proven legacy in real estate development.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, Adron Homes encourages Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to take advantage of the Love for Love Promo to enjoy exceptional value, exclusive rewards, and the opportunity to build a future rooted in love, security, and prosperity.
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