From Ben Dunno, Warri
An associate of deceased Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Peter Omoh Dunia, has disclosed that the national outlook of late DIG Ibrahim Abdullahi Larmode prompted immortalising him with an Ultra-Modern Auditorium and Outdoor Sports Centre in Ogbona Community Secondary School, Etsako Central Local Government area of Edo State.
Speaking on the life and times of the former EFCC boss, Dunia, an Executive Director, Inter-Atlas Synergy Limited, where the late DIG Lamorde last worked as the board chairman, noted he felt fulfilled to see a meaningful developmental project that would impact positively on the lives of the students in his hometown being named after such a great man like Lamorde and what he stood for while serving the nation.
Speaking in an emotion laden voice, Dunia recalled their last conversations when he (Lamorde) called him to inform him that he took his wife out of the country for treatment, and how he decided to have himself checked up as well, adding that it was the result of the check-up that revealed an abnormal growth on his kidney.
He hinted that since he was already abroad, he (Lamorde) decided to go through an operation since the doctors had assured him that it was a simple operation that could be handled easily over there; but, in what appeared like a twist of fate, the same operation took his life.
He said: “I was very sad and down over a month ago when the news of the demise of Alhaji Ibrahim Lamorde was broken to me. But, today, as I look up at this edifice built to immortalise him, I feel very happy and fulfilled. I want to sincerely appreciate the members of Ogbona Secondary School Management Board, especially the Chairman, Mrs. Joan Amanesi Egwuonwu, for sharing in my vision to name the project after this great man”.
The tribute read in part: “DIG Ibrahim Abdullahi Lamorde (retd) was born on December 20,1962, in Mubi, now in Adamawa State. He later attended the Premier University, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating with a B.A in Sociology in 1984. He joined the Nigeria Police in 1986 and rose through the ranks.
“He served in various capacities across the nation, from Niger State, Bauchi State, to Oyo State and others, including working in the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police, the unit charged with investigation of advance-fee fraud, where he was seconded to the United Nations Civilian Police in the Ermera District of East Timor as a Chief Investigation Officer.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was created in 2003 and Ibrahim Lamorde was later made the Director, Operations and Strategy. In November 2011, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ibrahim Lamorde was appointed Acting Chairman and was later confirmed as substantive Chairman of the EFCC on February 15, 2012.
“Alhaji Lamorde of blessed memory was a member of both the Nigerian Institute of Management and also the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, respectively. A thorough bred law enforcement professional, he has been described by close associates as a highly intelligent, studious and industrious professional who demonstrated competence in the various assignments he had been tasked with over the years.
“His friends fondly remember him as a people’s-person and problem solver, who could be relied on to help at any time, a loyal and unifying figure who maintained an extensive network of good relationships with inclusion and diversity. As a man of deep religious convictions, who was dedicated to the Muslim Faith, he was a committed family man who dearly cherished his family and a champion of communities. From the philanthropic outreaches he sponsored non-stop in his native Mubi to the many other communities where he worked across the nation; securing a safe and flourishing community life was a priority to him.
“As board chairman of Inter-Atlas Synergy Limited and coming into the Oil and Gas industrial security and project management space with operations in the Niger Delta region, he was appalled at the level of environmental degradation and deprivation suffered by many of the communities. He believed that their plight needed to be highlighted in the work of Inter-Atlas Synergy Limited and lasting solutions advocated for action.
“Unfortunately, he passed away on May 25, 2024. He left behind a legacy of lifetime service to God, humanity, community and country. The Ogbona Community Secondary School Ultra-modern Auditorium and Sports Complex in Etsako Central LGA of Edo State is named in his honour and loving memory by Inter-Atlas Synergy Limited, the company he led after his retirement from public service until his demise”.