Redeemed Pastor named best DPO in Nigeria by South Africa varsity

Kasumu: Redeemed Pastor named best DPO in Nigeria, showered with encomium

By Dipo Alaje.

Kasumu and wife after the award

A Chief Superintendent of Police, Taiwo Olufemi Kasunmu who is also a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God has been named the best divisional police officer in Nigeria for the year 2019. He was also  honoured for his outstanding role in curbing crime in Igando area of Lagos.

Kasumu was honoured at the 2019 conference of Stellenbosch University of South Africa in collaboration with African Security Watch

At the event which held on November 6th and 7th at the Radisson Blue Hotel, GRA Lagos, Kasunmu was described as detribalised Nigerian whose passion and drive is to ensure a crime free society by the Executive Dean, Faculty of Military Sciences of Stellenbosch University of South Africa Prof. Samuel Tshehla.

The former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Imoyimi Edger had posted Kasunmu to Igando area of Lagos two years ago with a view to using him to curb the incessant and embarrassing criminal tendencies of people in the area.

The award however is an attestation of his impact in the Igando community. This is besides other numerous recognition he has garnered over the years, including series of spontaneous praise singing by residents of Igando, Lagos, whenever he succeeds in bursting a crime.

CPS Taiwo Olufemi Kasumu attributes his success to God. He is a Senior Pastor with The Redeemed Christian Church of God where he serves as a Pastor in Charge of House of Wonders Area, Lagos Province 72.

He is also a member of the Provincial legal team. At the National Level of the mission, Pastor Kasunmu is a strategic member of Redeemed Volunteers (RV). The passion and commitment with which he discharges his duties in church is believed by many to be responsible for why he has continued to enjoy God’s amazing GRACE in his secular work which has translated into strings of successes for him….

An Attorney at Law who has a B.Sc. (Hon) and M.Sc in Sociology from the Lagos State University and the University of Lagos respectively. He also holds a Ph.D in Sociology with a bias in Sociology of Law and Criminal Justice.

He is a member of the Police Cadet ASP Course 21/02 of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano and has served in several departments of the Force.

Notably, an International Police Trainer with vast experiences in Cross-Cultural Communications, Rule of Law and Multi-agency Collaborations. He has served in both the United Nations and African Union Peace Keeping Missions in Darfur, Sudan as a trainer and was later appointed as the Police Spokesman for the AU mission in Mogadishu, Somalia in 2009 to 2011.

He served as the Secretary of a three-man AU envoy to Burundi for Police on recruitment of police peacekeepers in 2007 under the Chairmanship of Police Commissioner Karl Nobin of the Republic of Mauritius.

As a lawyer, he has worked in the Legal Department of the Nigeria Police and also served as the officer in charge of Human Rights at the State Criminal Investigations Department in Lagos.

He was redeployed as the Divisional Police Officer on 14th of July 2018 to head Igando Police Divisional Headquarters, where he transformed the outlook of the station with great aesthetic values compared to previous years.

A highly detribalised Nigerian, he obviously understands the working of millennium security architecture, which he has been applying diligently to achieve the numerous positive results.

Kasumu: His major exploits

He led a team on 2/8/18 as agent provocateur that busted a gang of assassins procured to kill one 60 years old Madam Gladys Osaigbovo. The suspects confessed to the crime and were arrested and currently in prison while prosecution is on.

CSP Kasumu also led a team on 14th November 2018 that arrested a notorious armed robber called ThankGod Idoko and recovered his pistol and the ammunition. The suspect is currently standing trial in court.

He once led a team of detectives that busted a kidnap syndicate based in Igando, who target job seekers and liberated five hostages and demolished their shrines in Igando community in Lagos. The case enjoyed media limelight in September 2018 and the suspects are currently in prison.

He led another team on 26/12/2018 that arrested one Vincent Ameh and Julius Mathew, a member of the Vikings Cult and the chief executioner of the cult respectively, and recovered their pistol and ammunition’s, both suspects are currently in prison.

He uncovered the novel attempt and initiation of primary school pupils into cultism at a primary school in Igando on 1st February, 2019. The Lagos State Ministry of Youth later took over the matter for proper counselling and reorientation of the pupil and their teachers.

Further he led a team that spied and impounded the poisonous animal skin (ponmo) in April 2019 imported but flagged by the Lagos ministry of health as toxic for human consumption. The three trailer loads of ponmo were evacuated and consequently destroyed by the Lagos state ministry of health to avert possible epidemic.

He led yet another team in April, 2019 and busted a kidnap syndicate that Kidnapped a two- year-old girl from the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church in Agege, Lagos. The victim was held hostage in kidnappers den for two months; he recovered the toddler unhurt and re-united her with her parent while her abductors were charged to court.

He led a team that confronted the deadly armed robbery gang that terrorized Egan residential community on 20th September, 2019 at 3 am in a fierce gun duel where one of the robbers was fatally shot, another arrested with a gunshot wound currently hospitalised at police Medical Centre in Lagos. Investigation in progress to track the fleeing accomplices. However, his team recovered two exotic Toyota Lexus saloon car that was snatched by the gangs.

He has a robust community partnership approach to policing and a believer in best practices in Criminal Justice Administrations and the Rule of Law.

A competent, intelligent and hard-working Super Cop, who sacrifices his night sleep to keep his people safe, CSP Kasumu will always be appreciated for his hard work, high ethical conducts and standard.