BY RITA OYIBOKA
The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) in Warri, Udu, and Effurun has today honoured Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Aliyu Shaba, with a Special Award for Outstanding Service in recognition of his remarkable achievements in the Nigeria Police Force.
The ceremony, held at Bon Hotel, Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area, drew legal luminaries, community leaders, and security stakeholders who gathered to celebrate the career of an officer described as one of Nigeria’s finest crime-busters.
Speaking on behalf of the SANs, Charles Ajuyah (SAN) delivered a glowing citation on ACP Shaba’s life and service.
He said, “We gather not only to celebrate achievement but to affirm a timeless truth, that honour is the reward of virtue, and service, when rendered with integrity and courage, leaves a fragrance sweeter than victory itself.
“It is within this spirit that we present to you Assistant Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Shaba, a man whose life story reads like the chapters of a book written in duty, sacrifice, and uncommon resolve.”
Tracing his policing journey from his commissioning in 2006, Ajuyah recounted Shaba’s exploits across Nigeria, from Kaduna to Ogun, Sudan to Ondo, Kwara to Akwa Ibom, and finally to Delta State.
“He has fought kidnappers and disarmed robbers; he has intercepted cultists and retrieved arms caches; he has exposed the underworld of ritual murderers, and restored dignity to grieving families. Each assignment, each raid, each sleepless night in pursuit of justice, is a stanza in the long poem of his service,” he stated.
Among his notable achievements in Delta State were the interception of robbery gangs, recovery of AK-47 rifles and pump-action guns in Warri, the high-profile arrest of the notorious Momotimi gang, and the resolution of the chilling Otokutu ritual murder case.
Ajuyah further highlighted Shaba’s recent promotion and national recognition: “Only last week, he was deservedly elevated to the enviable rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police and appointed the Ughelli Area Commander, even as he also emerged the Inspector General of Police Award Winner for Distinguished Police Officer of the Year, 2025.”
The SAN added with humour, “In Warri, people say ‘police work no be beans.’ But ACP Shaba has somehow made it look like Mathematics, and fittingly so, since he actually studied Mathematics! But beyond the humour lies the truth: he has shown that the police uniform need not only be a symbol of sternness, but of humanity.”
Ajuyah also praised Shaba as a symbol of courage, humility, and dedication to public service: “Today (yesterday), therefore, on behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria practicing in Warri, Effurun, and Udu, we present to you ACP Aliyu Shaba, investigative expert, operational tactician, crime-buster, and peacemaker, an officer whose story is a reminder that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph of duty over fear.”
