The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Sunday suffered a great tragedy as one of its brightest and intelligent officers, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Osung Ekpo, allegedly drowned inside a swimming pool in a Lagos hotel while celebrating Valentine Day.

Ekpo, a Doctorate Degree holder, was until his death, the pioneer Area Commander of the recently created Area K Command located at Magbon near Badagry.

It was gathered that the fearless officer went to the unnamed hotel in Ajah area of the metropolis with three friends, whose gender could not be ascertained as at press time to relax in commemoration of the Lovers’ Day, when the incident occurred.

Ekpo’s gallantry came to the fore recently when he fought the ‘One Million Boys’, a notorious gang of marauders, who had been terrorising Badagry residents.

An eye witness, who did not want his name in print, said the police officer would have been tipsy as a result of gulping some liquor before mistakingly diving into a deep portion of the swimming pool where he allegedly drowned.

“They quickly brought him out and rushed him to a hospital but did not make it as he died before they could get to the hospital,” the source said.

But the Lagos Police Command, through its Spokesperson, Dolapo Badmus, denied the mission of the late Ekpo at the hotel, saying that Ekpo was not there to celebrate Valentine Day but for his weekly routine swimming exercise.

Dolapo, who disclosed that the state Police Command has been thrown into mourning as a result of the incident, said, “We confirm that Ekpo went there for his routine swimming exercise and in the process got drowned. He takes off once in a week to do swimming exercise but I don’t know the name of the hotel.”

Ekpo, who enlisted in the Police in 1990, had held several postings in Lagos including second in command at Mopol 20 Command, Ikeja, Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, DPO Ijora and Ajah before he was transferred out of Lagos and promoted to ACP.

•Adapted from an AUTHORITY report. Photo courtesy of The Nation shows late Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Osung Ekpo.

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