…….Nigeria will miss him….Okiro
From Vincent Egunyanga in Abuja .
A former Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase is dead.
He died at the Cedar Crest Hospital, Abuja, in the early hours of Sunday after a brief illness.
The Police authorities in Nigeris confirmed his demise as the force Public Relations Officer DCP Olimuyiwa Adejobi said the news was broken to them by his first son Solomon Osabohien Arase jnr..
Solomon Arsse who hailed from Edo state was born 21st June 1956.
Graduated with degree in political science from Ahmadu Bello University in 1980 before enlisting into the Nigerian Police 1981.
He later earned an LL.B from the University of Benin and an LL.M in Corporate Management and Finance Law from Lagos State University.
He also held a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan and was a Fellow of the National Defence College (fdc).
A recipient of the National Police Medal (NPM), Arase was widely respected for his academic and professional credentials.
Over the course of his career, he served in key departments of the Force, including Operations, Investigations, Administration and Intelligence.
He once headed the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the apex intelligence arm of the Force.
Arase was also part of Nigeria’s police contingent to the United Nations Mission in Namibia, reflecting his international exposure.
He was a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the International Bar Association (IBA), and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Until his passing, he served as National Legal Adviser of the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC).
Arase was appointed the 18th Inspector-General of Police in April 2015 by then-President Goodluck Jonathan and retired in 2016.
He chaired the Police Service Commission (PSC) from January 2023 to June 2024 when President Bola Tinubu appointed Hashimu Argungu, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police as head of the commission.
Meanwhile a former Inspector Feneral of Police Mike Okiro has described the death of Solomon Arase as ” very sad”.
Speaking with Thisnigeria on Sunday Mike Okiro said ” we have lost somebody devoted to Nigeria, Nigeria has missed a patriot”.
Okiro said with the high level of insecurity in the country Arase died when his services are needed the most.
He prayed that God grant him eternal rest.
