The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, has attributed his uncompromising stance against corruption to the moral upbringing and Christian values instilled in him by his late father.
Ojajuni, who spoke at the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Martin Catholic Police Chaplaincy, Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, said integrity had remained a guiding principle throughout his personal and professional life.
The commissioner, in a candid reflection on his career and upbringing, declared that he had never demanded or collected a bribe since joining the Nigeria Police Force.
“I have never, in my life, demanded or collected a bribe,” Ojajuni said, explaining that his position was firmly rooted in the values he acquired from his father.
According to him, his late father, a lay preacher, deliberately raised him within the principles of faith, discipline, accountability and integrity.
He recalled an incident early in his police career when he secured a loan from the Police Cooperative to support his father in renovating his house.
Ojajuni said that after travelling from Lagos to Ondo State with the money, his father refused to accept it until he was satisfied that the funds had been obtained legitimately.
The young police officer had to return to Lagos to obtain a certificate of indebtedness from the cooperative before his father accepted the money.
For Ojajuni, the incident became a defining lesson in accountability and has remained a major influence on his conduct in public service.
“Now you can see the reason why I said I don’t demand or collect bribes. Why would I? It is my home training and background, and because my father put my leg on the path of the Lord,” he said.
The commissioner also urged parents to regard the moral and spiritual upbringing of their children as a long term investment, saying the values instilled in children would eventually benefit society.
Addressing parents of the confirmands, he said, “You have put your children on the path of the Lord. You will reap the fruits of your labour,” while urging parents to prioritise character building alongside material provision.
Reflecting on his childhood in Ondo State, Ojajuni recalled growing up as a Methodist in a community where a Catholic church stood opposite his church, with both congregations maintaining a strong relationship despite their denominational differences.
He said the churches supported one another during harvest celebrations, while their choirs participated in each other’s programmes, describing the experience as an early lesson in religious tolerance, Christian fellowship and peaceful coexistence.
Ojajuni also recounted what he described as a spiritually significant experience shortly before his appointment as Ogun Commissioner of Police. He said a gospel song performed during a church service at Mosafejo around March had deeply touched him, prompting him to tell an Assistant Inspector General of Police sitting beside him that the singer was ministering to him.
Five days later, he was appointed Commissioner of Police in Ogun State. The experience, he said, reinforced his belief that God could communicate with people through seemingly ordinary moments, urging Christians to pay closer attention to sermons, songs and other forms of worship.
The commissioner commended the Catholic clergy for their continued spiritual support for police officers and their families, particularly Rev. Fr. (CSP) Paul Omotosho, whom he recalled meeting during his earlier service in Lagos.
He also praised the priest for his determination to establish a church within the police community in Ikeja, describing the achievement as evidence of commitment to service and faith.
The Confirmation ceremony was presided over by the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo. The event also featured the blessing of the newly constructed Grotto of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and the foundation laying ceremony for the Catholic Chaplains’ House.
Senior police officers, including ACP Gloria Otonko of the X Squad, alongside other officers of the Command, attended the ceremony.
Beyond the religious activities, however, Ojajuni’s message centred on the importance of character in public service, particularly in policing, where officers exercise significant authority on behalf of the state.
His account underscored the view that the fight against corruption begins long before an individual assumes public office. It begins with parental guidance, personal discipline, faith and the examples children witness while growing up.
For Ojajuni, his late father’s insistence on accountability remains one of the most enduring lessons of his life.
The Ogun police commissioner’s story therefore presents integrity not as a principle reserved for public office, but as a character cultivated at home, strengthened by faith and demonstrated through everyday choices.
As public expectations for accountability continue to grow, his message is clear: public office may confer authority, but only character determines how that authority is exercised.