In the year 2010, Ayodele Fadairo popularly known as Aunty Ayo Lalagbon retired as, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration in the Lagos State Command.
She came into the limelight when the late highlife maestro, Orlando Owoh, sang her praise as ‘Aunty Ayo in Alagbon’ in an album he waxed to reflect his ordeal in detention.
She told the newsmen in 2010, the kind of interaction he had with the late musician and how she rose through the ranks to become a highly visible face in the police.
Excerpt;
People got to know about you through one of the songs of the late highlife musician, Orlando Owoh. How did you meet him ?
After I left the CID as the secretary to the commissioner, I was posted to Iponri, where I worked with the present governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala. Later, my father in Christ, Mr. Chris Omeben, took me to Force CID, Alagbon.
I wasn’t supposed to work with him because they were only entitled to civilian secretaries, but he singled me out of the lot. In fact, he wrote a very strong recommendation for me to be promoted from an inspector to ASP.
It was then that Orlando came to Alagbon, where he met me. I am sure everybody knows why he was arrested and detained. Meanwhile, I happened to be a lover of his music even before I met him. His music inspires me a lot. So, when I learnt that he was in Alagbon, I was eager to meet him. They were bringing him together with others to meet the DIG and they were meeting me.
That was how we became close. I would counsel him on why he had to leave drug and all that. I was of little assistance to him during his stay as well. I remember him telling me that it was a pity that he did not meet me before his problem.
He said he probably would have adopted me as a sister or someone to counsel him. We became close and he was very fond of me. I used the opportunity to tell him that the drug he was allegedly accused of was not good for his health and that those of us who were lovers of his music would not like anything to happen to him.
Was there anything to show that he took your advice?
At that time, he stopped. You know he went through a lot. Maybe he didn’t know what was waiting for him. He came to Alagbon with the impression that some big guns would intervene and in no time he would be left off the hook without any serious investigation. But the crop of policemen we had then were people of high integrity, and they were determined to unravel the circumstances of his case. He took my advice for some time. Maybe he later derailed.
Did you expect him to sing your praise in one of his records as he later did? And what was your reaction to it?
Oh, I didn’t expect him to do that at all. You know, as a serving officer, you are not expected to get involved in things like that because of the nature of the job we do. As detectives, we need to get information, and we were not expected to be loud in any way.
So, I didn’t expect him to do that. He shouldn’t have done that. He didn’t discuss that with me. I was only doing the little I could do to help him. When my attention was drawn to the fact that Orlando in his record detailing his experience in Alagbon mentioned my name, I was scared stiff.
As a police officer, we were told at the college the kind of things we must not be involved in; like getting involved in music or going on strike. It quite unsettled me because I didn’t know what the outcome could be.
Were you queried?
I was not queried. I was never queried.
Are you also saying you were never queried as a police officer?
To the glory of God Almighty, I left the force without a single query or orderly room trial after 35 years in service. Orderly room is for the junior rank, while query is for senior officers.
Source: The Nigerian Voice
