After her forceful retirement in 1975, not much has been heard of Madam Mary Iyabode Oyebade, also known as Iya Toyin Olopa. She was a police officer who was feared by friends and foes alike for her incorruptible stance and dedication to duty.
Madam Oyebade was a hard nut to crack as she ensured criminals enjoyed time in prison. She also made money for the government. She didn’t set out to be a police officer as she was training to be a teacher; after all teaching was the most favoured job for ladies during her younger years. Nevertheless, her husband ensured she joined the force (they were both police officers).
The ex-Chief Superintendent of Police’s (CSP) foray into the police force could best be described as divinely arranged as she was just brought to Lagos without prior knowledge of what she was coming to do. She got into the force and displayed dedication, rising to become a CSP before her forceful retirement in 1975.
Her late husband, Rufus Akanni Oyebade, was also a police officer. He retired as a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in Lagos and died in 2018.
Madam Oyebade joined the police force in 1954. She trained at the Southern Police Training College in Ikeja, Lagos State (now known as Police Training College). The training lasted six months and she excelled in all activities.
She narrated: “I underwent six-month training at the Southern Police Training College in Ikeja, Lagos State. Our morning routine included a three-mile race before returning to the compound and I was always the winner. Even in written examinations, I always took the lead. I would also ask our hostel coordinator, Miss Barnes, to tell our lecturers to explain to me anything that wasn’t too clear. After the six months, I was the all-round best corps.”
“After passing out, I was sent to the Denton Police Station in Ebute-Metta, where my husband also worked. I never knew my husband had arranged that I should be posted to the same station where he worked. I was always given difficult tasks at Denton. I was sent to tough areas but I always overcame, the hoodlums won’t operate until I had left the areas.”
The funny part of her job was that she was never transferred outside Lagos all through her years in service before retiring in Abeokuta in 1975.
Sadly, however, it has been 45 years since Madam Oyebade left active service but she is yet to get her full entitlement. She was paid a fraction of it and till now she hasn’t gotten the rest.
She is, therefore, pleading with the government to pay what is due to her, after all a worker deserves her wages.
“I was forcibly retired on five false allegations, and when none of the allegations could be proven, I was retired in the ‘interest of the public’ since I didn’t allow offenders access to lawyers, and Magistrates would only take my word to sentence the offenders to one month in custody or N5,000 which goes to government coffers.
“My benefits were not paid quickly. When it was eventually paid, it was just a fraction of everything and until today, the government has not paid the rest,” she lamented.
The ex-CSP also lamented the current state of the police force. According to her, the current force lacks discipline and so things will continue to go awry.
She said: “There is nothing like police force anymore. Without fear or favour of anybody, I am telling the world we have no police. If you wanted to marry as a police officer then, you will write and your spouse will be interviewed to know if he/she can cope with a police officer and rigours of the job.
“We will also know the spouse’s background and occupation and the officer will be transferred to the state where the spouse resides. And if there are doubts about the spouse, the marriage will not be allowed. Female officers also wear wigs and attachments now which were not allowed back then.”
Madam Oyebade, who is proud of her accomplishment as an officer of the law, said her diligence and incorruptible stance earned her respect and fame, even after retirement.
“I never took bribes and also educated my junior colleagues against it. I also performed my duties with utmost diligence; I was a disciplinarian and I was known for that. Even after retirement and I didn’t have the money needed to invest in a business, a businessman whom I had refused his bribe stood as my surety to get a loan from the bank.
“He promised to repay the loan within three months if I did not. The bank manager also went out of his way to ensure I got the money I needed because he was amazed at me coming to his office for such great need.”
To better the current state of affairs in the police force, Madam Oyebade said: “The government should recruit former police officers to train the present generation of officers and give them a free hand to operate. Policemen should also stop taking bribes. During my time in the force, we don’t take bribes and if you offer, you will be tried for offering bribes.”
She would, however, want the people to remember her for whatever they wish to. (The Nation)
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