New CP Daaor Takes Charge in Edo, Vows Tougher Fight Against Crime

A new Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daaor, has assumed duty in Edo State, promising a more mobile, responsive and people-oriented police force as he takes over the security leadership of the State.

Daaor assumed office on Monday following the elevation of his predecessor, AIG Monday Agbonika, to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu.

Agbonika was decorated with his new rank on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, becoming the second serving Commissioner of Police in Edo State in recent times to rise to the rank of AIG. He follows CP Abutu Yaro, who was promoted to AIG on September 30, 2022.

Speaking after formally assuming office, Daaor said he would build on the achievements of his predecessor while strengthening the police’s crime-fighting capacity across the State.

He pledged to deploy a highly mobile police force capable of responding swiftly to criminal activities, while making professionalism, respect for citizens and public trust central to his administration.
“The policies that have been rolled out by the outgoing CP will intensify our crime-fighting approach. We will fine-tune them and, more importantly, ensure that every policeman has respect for every citizen of Edo State.”

The new CP also promised to operate an open-door policy, urging residents to provide timely information that could assist the police in tackling security challenges.

Daaor stressed that effective policing requires the collective participation of the entire society, saying security cannot be left to the police alone.

He assured Edo residents that complaints and security concerns brought to his attention would be handled with “the utmost professionalism.”

In his farewell remarks, Agbonika described his service to Edo State as the greatest honour of his policing career, expressing gratitude to the IGP for the opportunity to lead the state’s police command.

He appealed to Edo residents to extend to him, in his new capacity as AIG, the same support they gave him as Commissioner of Police.

Agbonika is expected to extend his new responsibilities to Delta State, where he said he was looking forward to a fresh challenge and the opportunity to make an impact.

Reflecting on his tenure in Edo, the former CP identified winning the trust and confidence of residents as his biggest challenge.

According to him, that relationship eventually became a major driver of the command’s successes as communities began to understand and support the police’s strategies.
Agbonika urged his successor to sustain the command’s grassroots policing strategy, particularly the Community Safety Partnership, which he described as an effective tool for building bridges between the police and communities.

He charged Daaor to maintain an “all-of-society” approach by working closely with government authorities, traditional rulers, hunters, youths, sister security agencies and other stakeholders.

The outgoing CP maintained that stronger community participation was critical to delivering effective security services across Edo State.

With Daaor now at the helm, expectations are high that the Edo Police Command will build on the gains of the previous administration while adopting a more aggressive, mobile and community-driven approach to combating crime.