Ronke Kehinde/
For a man who lost his father at the age of three but grew up to become a Commissioner of Police (CP), Femi Oyeleye’s life must have been a very interesting story.
Sadly, Oyeleye died on June 11, 2017, with his story untold.
But his colleagues, friends and family put up epitaphs on the day of his burial to show the world that heaven just received an angel.
Leading the mourners, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris said in a condolence message published in the burial program: “The legacies of our beloved late Commissioner of Police are enormous and his contribution endless. It is a recognised fact that in the Force and beyond, that his apparent and exceptional qualities accounted for his brilliant career for which he is today fondly remembered…
“Femi Oyeleye will be fondly remembered for his noble disposition to duty and his fatherland as an officer and a gentleman who served meritoriously throughout his impressive career.”
The burial program also contains a short story on the late CP.
With the support of his mother and family members, Oyeleye made it through Igbobi College and the University of Lagos, where he bagged a Law degree in 1982 and then proceeded to the Nigerian Law School. He was called to the Bar in 1983.
In 1984, he joined the police as a cadet and rose through the ranks to become a CP in 2015.
Oyeleye met and fell in love with Yinka Ayoade during the ASP recruitment exercise in 1984, and they got married in 1985, after which they were blessed with three children – Babade, Ayodeji, and Oluwadara.
He later married Bose Faseyiku in 2000, after his separation with Yinka. The union produced two more children – Ayomide and Aramide.
Oyeleye received several awards and recognition in his career.
As a Christian, he established the Christian fellowship centre at Area B Command Headquarters, in Apapa.
People had many things to say about the late Oyeleye.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department, Mr H.M. Dagala stated in his condolence letter: “The officer was before his death the Commissioner of Police in-charge of Central Criminal Registry (CCR), Force Criminal and Investigations Department, Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi-Lagos. He was a hardworking, loyal, resourceful, disciplined and honest. He championed the course of fairness, equity and thoroughness, which was the core of his duty…”
DIG Foluso Adebanjo also stated in condolence message: “I used to call him Femoo and so did few of us who were familiar with him. Femi was a brilliant officer, since our days at the Police Staff College, Jos, where all of us passed out as Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police Course 13, 1984.
‘Femi was a good guy that was always fun to be with. He was compassionate and hardworking. He was an epitome of discipline, fairness and integrity, as gentle as a lamb but as wise as a serpent, brainy and highbrow…’
“Femi was a good guy that was always fun to be with. He was compassionate and hardworking. He was an epitome of discipline, fairness and integrity, as gentle as a lamb but as wise as a serpent, brainy and highbrow…”
Cadbury Nigeria Plc also described him as an officer who lived a fulfilled and active life of service.
The Igbobi College Old Boys Association ended its tribute with the words: “Our dear ‘Expo’, we mourn your early departure, will miss all those jokes, but thank God for the opportunity of the good times and some bad ones that we shared… Until the resurrection day, we say adieu Expo, Oga Olopa… rest in peace.”
Abia and Lagos commissioners of police, Mr Leye Oyebade and Mr Fatai Owoseni were among top officers who attended the burial to bade him a final farewell.
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