A Super Cop, Evangelist
Anthony Sawyerr hailed from Sagbama Town in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He was a quintessential and accomplished police officer who made his mark in the Nigerian Police Force.
The late Anthony Sawyerr remains one of the best police officers Nigeria has ever had. By his demeanor, you would love the police force as a profession. Undoubtedly, he was the first Bayelsan to attain the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).
Who Was AIG Anthony Sawyerr?
The late Anthony Sawyerr was from Sagbama community of Bayelsa State. He was an exceptional police officer who left footprints on the sands of time in the force. In 1966, he joined the force as a Constable, rose through the ranks, and reached the zenith of his police career as Assistant Inspector General of Police in 2001. He was a true professional who knew the job. Even though the police earnings were small, they were enough for him and his family. He never tarnished his image or brought a bad name to the force; godliness and contentment were his disposition. Anthony Sawyerr represented the finest of the Nigeria Police Force. He retired unblemished in 2001. Besides his police job, which he loved dearly, he was a practical Christian who kept God’s commandments to the fullest. He was a notable Jehovah’s Witness Evangelist who preached the gospel of Jehovah with pride and vigor in his prime, irrespective of his stature. As true children of Jehovah don’t die, they only sleep, so did the elegant Anthony Sawyerr sleep into eternity on November 18, 2020. He was 76 years old.
His Parents/Birth
Born on April 16, 1944, in Ndiamazi quarters in Sagbama Town, Southern Nigeria (now Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State). His parents, the late Pa Cameroon Sawyerr, a staff of the Inland Waterways Department (IWD), and his mother, the late Madam Erekabo Pereware Sawyerr (who hailed from Bolu-Orua) was a housewife. Together, they provided a conducive environment where young Anthony Sawyerr thrived as he evolved with time.
Education
When he became of age to start school, his parents registered him as a pupil of Local Authority Primary School, Sagbama Town. It is interesting to note that the education of young Anthony Sawyerr was momentarily halted as a result of his father’s transfer to Lagos in 1952. Because of the transience of his father’s stations, influenced by his work with IWD during the colonial period, young Anthony Sawyerr also moved to Lagos and continued his primary education in Africa School, Apapa, where he received his First School Leaving Certificate in 1958.
In 1959, he proceeded to Secondary Modern School, Uduophori, for his secondary education and later attended United College of Commerce, Warri (formerly Mid-western Nigeria), where he completed his post-secondary education in 1965.
Police Career
He enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force in 1966 as a Constable. After the recruitment exercise, he was posted to Central Police Station, Ibadan, in the then Western Region of Nigeria. As a Constable, his duties included serving as a peace officer, arresting violators of the law, and providing security at the community level. His duties centered on minor crimes. He worked dutifully and professionally throughout his stay in Ibadan.
In May 1970, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. He was obviously elated at his first promotion, which meant that his hard work was not in vain. As a Corporal, he served at the Central Police Station, Ibadan.
Thereafter, he proceeded to the Police College, Ikeja, as an Inspector. This was the turning point of his life. At this academy, he was taught academic and military exercises, among other rudiments. Anthony Sawyerr showed great commitment to what he was being taught academically and militarily.
As the Cadet Inspector training was gradually coming to an end, he and other cadet inspectors were sent by the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, to the Citizenship and Leadership Training Center, Shere Hills, Jos, for further training. It has been a place where all cadet officers in the NPF are trained. His AP number was 22522.
Some of his contemporaries at the Police College, Ikeja, include the present Oba of Lagos, AIG Rilwanu Akiolu (rtd), Sunday Mayah (his best friend during his sojourn at the police college and now a Chief), AIG Okpaleke Julian, CP Ochuonu, CP Esiet, among others.
Post-College Posting
He was deployed to Borno State in 1972, where his life as an Inspector started in the NPF. In 1976, he was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), thus commencing his status as a Senior Officer in the NPF. In 1980, he was elevated to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and designated Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Potiskum, Borno State (now in Yobe State).
While serving as a DPO in Potiskum, he participated in the Advanced Detective Course in 1980. Sometime in 1982, he was posted to Rivers State from Potiskum. His station was in Bori Town, still as DPO. He was promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) and thereafter posted as DPO Mile One Division, Port Harcourt.
While serving as DPO in 1984, he attended the Intermediate Command Course. It was during this period that the Rivers State Command witnessed the appointment of a Commissioner of Police, Fidelis Oyakhilome, as Military Governor of Rivers State.
In 1987, CSP Anthony Sawyerr was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and transferred to Umuahia (then Imo State) as Area Commander. He was appointed a member of the Imo State MAMSER Board (Mass Mobilization for Self-Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery), established by President General Ibrahim B. Babangida’s Federal Government in 1987. This was an exercise in mass orientation of Nigerians, recommended by the Political Bureau headed by Dr. Samuel Joseph Cookey. In 1989, he was transferred to the Anambra State Police Command and served as Area Commander in Onitsha and Nsukka, respectively.
Subsequently, in 1990, he was deployed to Benue State and served as Area Commander in Gboko.
Furthermore, ACP Anthony Sawyerr was elevated to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in December 1990 and deployed to Benin City, where he served in the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department (ZCID) in Zone 5.
In October 1991, he was transferred to Police College, Maiduguri, where he served as Deputy Commandant of the college, responsible for recruiting and training fresh intakes into the force.
In April 1994, Lagos State Police Command benefited from DCP Anthony Sawyerr’s expertise, as he served as DCP Administration, Lagos State Police Command, under CP James Danbaba. During this period, senior police officers had the privilege of having official quarters, and DCP Sawyerr’s official residence was at No. 26A Remi Fani Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja.
Eventually, he was promoted to the prestigious rank of Commissioner of Police. CP Anthony Sawyerr felt very overjoyed by this promotion, as the dream of every senior officer is to fly a pennant (flag) in his/her staff car, which his new status allowed.
North-East Again
He was posted to Borno State and served as Commissioner of Police in April 1995. This marked his third and last mission to the North-East of Nigeria. As the number one cop in Borno State, he effectively and efficiently discharged his responsibilities to the best of his ability, delighting the high command of the Nigeria Police. Among his novel contributions was the introduction of bus stops in and around Maiduguri metropolis to decongest traffic, apart from the significant reduction of criminality.
In August 1995, he was posted to Kogi State Police Command as CP, when Col Paul Omeruo served as Military Administrator of the “Confluence State.”
Shortly after, in September 1995, he was posted to Force Headquarters, Kam-Salem House (named after the second IGP), Obalende, Lagos, where he served as CP Admin, ‘A’ Dept.
In 1999, with the return of democracy in Nigeria, he was posted to head the Kwara State Police Command as CP.
Subsequently, in March 2000, he was posted to Ekiti State Police Command when Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adabayo was serving as Civilian Governor.
Before long, CP Anthony Sawyerr was promoted to the revered position of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in 2001. He was the foremost Officer to be elevated to such rank in Bayelsa state. He also served as the pioneer AIG in zone 10 Sokoto, comprising of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states in the North-west Nigeria. AIG Anthony Sawyerr served in this capacity for six months and retired unblemished on the 1st of August, 2001.
Life After Retirement
It wasn’t doldrums for AIG Anthony Sawyerr while in retirement. From 2001 he ventured into many activities, he swiftly merged with his new found environment as he became a Director in Ine Oil Limited, Port Harcourt, Rivers state; Samfard Industries Limited Ota, Ogun state; CEO Tonibau Enterprises Limited and Erekabo Security Services Limited; Chairman, Board of Directors First International Academy, East West Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers state; among others. All these activities in his later years were efforts geared towards contributing his quota to nation building while in retirement. Suffice it to say, all the mentioned firms are still buoyant and impacting the nation because of the solid foundation he laid for the investments.
His Family
He was married to Helen Endeley in 1971. She is the daughter of the famous Francis Gbede Endeley of Sagbama. She was dependably allied to Anthony Sawyerr and also the love of his life. They went on to having Seven (7) blessed children together.
Faith
Anthony Sawyerr was a staunched Jehovah Witness. He was proud of it’s body and soul; His colleagues and friends overly can attest to that. However, he was baptized into the fold on 7th July, 1974 in far Northern Nigeria precisely in Kano state, North-west, Nigeria. He was a zealous publisher who made sure the family came together every morning throughout the week to read the daily text and Bible daily. Due to his zeal for Jehovah he reached out for more privilege’s and because a Ministerial servant and later an Elder overseeing the Christian Life and Ministry in Waterfront Congregation. He also served in different committees of Jehovah’s organization especially in the resolution of disputes between Jehovah’s witnesses and the local communities in Nigeria.
His Death
It was reported that AIG Anthony Sawyerr (Rtd) a hard working, self-reliant, trustworthy and a good man passed on to eternal glory on the 18th November, 2020 at the Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state after a brief illness.
