Former PSC chairman Perry Osayande dies at 88

Perry Osayande, a former chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), is dead.

Osayande died on Sunday in Benin, the Edo state capital, at 88.

In a statement, Ikechukwu Ani, PSC head of press and public relations, described Osayande as “an erudite and consummate police officer who paid his dues as an exemplary police officer and visionary chairman of the commission”.

“DIG Osayande succeeded chief Simon Okeke, who was the pioneer chairman of the commission. Osayande was appointed in April 2008 by President Goodluck Jonathan,” the statement reads.

“His tenure marked rapid growth of the commission, including the presidential approval for a corporate headquarters for the commission now standing in the Jabi district of Abuja.

“DIG Parry Osayande was fearless, focused, and had a commanding presence, which gave the commission, a lot of mileage during its formative period.

“Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd mni, said the death of DIG Osayande was a great loss for the Commission. He called on Nigerians to remember the commission in their prayers in this trying period of losing two of its former chairmen within a month.”

Born in Benin in 1936, the late Osayande joined the Nigeria police in 1960 and retired as a deputy inspector-general of police (DIG) in 1992.

He served as commissioner of police in the old Bendel state, partook in the operations that suppressed the Bauchi and Kano riots of the early 90s and led a United Nations police unit for election monitoring in Namibia.

His post-retirement assignments included chairing the presidential committee on reformation of the Nigeria police and later serving as the chairman of the PSC.