Bada, Sanomi Bag Police Posthumous Sports Award

The Nigeria Police Force has given a posthumous sports honour to a former Olympic Gold Medalist and the Technical Director of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Sunday Bada.

Bada, who died in December 2011, was among the 46 late officers in addition to serving and retired officers of the force that were honoured at the maiden police sports award ceremony hosted by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar in Abuja at the weekend.

The quarter miler was a member of Nigeria's 4x400 metres relay quartet that won gold medal at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Bada also inspired Africa to a historic victory at the Athletics World Cup in Havana, Cuba in 1992.

Others departed officers remembered for their gallant service to Police through sport, include former Force Sports Officer, AIG Sanomi Dickens, ASP Y.

Y Kure, who was the coach of I.
G Babes that died in a road accident when travelling for a football match.

Another was the late CP Joseph Adeola, who was an exceptional runner for Nigeria in the time past.

Other categories of honourees include serving police officers, retirees and corporate friends of the Force.

Olympic Gold medalist (1996) Chioma Ajunwa, former World boxing champion, Samuel Peter and Chairman Force Sports Planning Committee, CP Abimbola Macaulay, were  some serving officers honoured, while former Super Eagles striker ACP Sunny Oyarekhua, former gold medalist at Brisbane '82  Commonwealth Games, Ikpoto Eseme, Former NFF Board member CP Abiola Odion, AIG Tunji Alapini and CSP Sam Igun were among the retired officers who received awards.

Some of the awardees in the Friends of Police category include the Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, Nasir Danu of HND Inter Biz, Igho Sanomi of Taleveras, Alhaji Musa Kida of Total, Akin Ogunbiyi of Mutual Benefit Insurance and Scott Tommey of Osmoserve Global Limited.

The IG Police, Abubakar, who commended the force for the role in keeping Nigeria's unity, promised to promote to the next ranks some of the serving officers who were conferred with awards.

Abubakar, who noted that the Police has produced and groomed more sportsmen for Nigeria than other armed forces combined, vowed that it continue to play that role by placing emphasis on sports and human capacity development.

THISDAY