A new Commissioner of Police, Surajudeen Olufemi Abaniwonda, has been deployed to the Delta State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, and has since resumed, just as the immediate past helmsman; AIG Wale Abass, has been transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The development was contained in a statement issued by the Delta State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Bright Edafe, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri on Wednesday.
The statement noted that CP Abaniwonda has since assumed duty as the 22nd Commissioner of Police for the Delta State Police Command.
The statement added that the new CP, while taking over from his immediate predecessor, “promised to build on existing security mechanisms in place towards enthroning the reign of peace and safety in Delta State.”
It added, “He advised the public to always cooperate with the Police and other security agencies at all times, even as he tasked the youths not to allow themselves to be used for any act of criminality”.
In his handing over remarks, the outgone Commissioner of Police, AIG Abass, thanked the Delta State Government and the people of the state for their cooperation while he was in-charge of the command, urging them to extend the same cooperation to his successor.
Abaniwonda, while addressing the press, assured Deltans, residents and non-residents that the command under his leadership “will ensure that the state becomes uncomfortable for criminals.”
Born on February 22nd 1966 to the family of Mr. and Mrs. M.A.R. Abaniwonda from Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, CP Abaniwonda holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History in 1987 and a Master of Arts in Economics History, 1990, both from the University of Lagos.
He was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as a member of Cadet ASP Course 17 on March 18, 1992. He attended the elite Police Academy Kaduna, and upon completion of training in the academy, was posted to Kogi State Police Command as a young Assistant Superintendent of Police in November 1995.
He had served in various capacities in the Police Force, notably as the 2i/c Squadron Commander, Police Mobile Force (21PMF) in Jos from 1996, and also as Squadron Commander at MOPOL 8 Jos, between 2002 and 2005.
From 2005 to 2014, he served as Divisional Police Officer at Kubwa Division, Gwarinpa Division, Karmo, Division, Lugbe Division, Garki Division, and Karshi Division and also the CSP DOPS, FCT Police Command.
As a trained officer of international standards, he was deployed for Peace Keeping Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2000, and was also in 2008 seconded as the Training Adviser at the United Nations’ Integrated Office in Sierra Leone.
In 2015 he was posted to the Gwagwalada Area Command as the Area Commander, and in 2017 he was transferred to Oyo State Command as the Area Commander, Oyo Area Command.
Upon his promotion to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police, he was tasked with the administrative duty at the Department of Operations Force Headquarters, Abuja. Afterwards, he was transferred to Kogi State Command as the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department.
He was the immediate past Deputy Force Secretary at Force headquarters, Abuja.
On his promotion to the rank of Commissioner of Police in January 2024, he was deployed to Delta State as the 22nd Commissioner of Police of the Delta State Police Command.
