POLICE DIG dies IN LAGOS HOTEL

BY Patience Ogbo
Barely one week after the Nigeria Police Force lost Sunday Bada a famous sprinter and a superintendent of police to the cold hand of death, another high rank officer , Ganiyu Dawodu, a Deputy Inspector – General of police (DIG) has allegedly slump and died of a suspected heart disease .
DIG Dawodu allegedly died in an undisclosed hotel room at Ikorodu on Thursday.
Until his death, DIG Dawodu was in charge of “D” department of the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID); the lightest investigating arm of the Nigeria Police.
Dawodu was in Lagos where he represented the Inspector General of police – Hafiz Ringim in the public presentation of a new crime drama series called “CASE FILE” a production of Bicommunication limited which also produces the police documentary “Crime Fighter-the police and you”.
Mr. Dawodu was full of life and cracked jokes at the event which was held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers Ikeja, on Thursday; he granted a press interview at the end of the programme.
It was gathered that after the event, DIG Dawodu went to his hotel room with an unnamed female Deputy Superintendent of police, (DSP) who allegedly came to visit him from Port Harcourt.
The said police woman raised the alarm about midnight that the DIG was unable to breathe- efforts to rush him to the hospital was futile as he had allegedly died before help could reach him.
It was further gathered that the late DIG had returned to the country after visiting South Africa for medical treatment over an undisclosed heart disease.
A police officer attached to the Homicide department Panti Yaba disclosed that the remains of the late DIG has been removed from the hotel room and deposited at a public mortuary for autopsy.
Reacting to the sudden death of DIG Dawodu, the Inspector General of police Hafiz Ringim confirmed the death.
Mr. Ringim in an obituary publication on the police official website said the Force regrets the death of DIG Dawodu
The message read “The Inspector General of police Hafiz Ringim on behalf of the Police management regrets to announce the death of DIG Ganiyu Dawodu NPM, mni” Mr. Ringim, also while addressing senior police officers in Abuja on Friday urged the officers to go for medical checkups.
“Let me seize this opportunity to appeal to you to personally take your health conditions seriously; you should go for medical check up so that you can carry out your job effectively” Ringim said. The officers held a one minute silence for the repose of the soul of the late DIG.
DIG Dawodu until his death was among six other officers promoted from the rank of Assistant Inspector – General of police (AIG) in September last year.
Reacting to the late DIG’s death, officers and men of the Lagos State police command expressed shock and sadness over the death of the late DIG. They pray that God will grant his soul eternal rest.