By Temilola Atolagbe

Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ari Mohammed Ali, has maintained that he retired meritoriously from the Nigeria Police Force and was not discharged due to any allegations.

A statement by his media aide, Ibrahim Alemani, dismissed claims of age falsification and violation of service rules as false and a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation.

The statement read: “DIG Ari (retd.) served in various capacities in the Nigeria Police Force with distinction. He would prefer not to be drawn into such malicious publications, but for clarity and the benefit of the public, the record must be set straight.

“He was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on March 3, 1990, as a member of Course 16 Cadet ASP, trained at the Elite Police Academy, Kaduna. He served across Delta, Bayelsa, Lagos, Rivers, and Kano State Commands, and at the Police Staff College, Jos.

“As Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, in Lagos State, he won the Security Watch Africa Award in 2018 as Africa’s Best Operations Officer.

“He served as Commissioner of Police in Delta State (2021–2023), helping to make the state one of Nigeria’s safest. Promoted to AIG in 2023, he was posted to Zone 2, Lagos, and later served as AIG Community Policing at Force Headquarters before his final deployment to Zone 1, Kano.”