By Augustine Akhilomen
The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police CP Waheed Ayilara on Thursday died in a Lagos hospital after battling with cancer.
The CP who was hale and hearty was in Lagos to attend the wedding ceremony of the Inspector-General of Police IGP Kayode Egbetokun’s daughter on Saturday and also took out time to grace the occasion of the pulling out of retired AIG Yetunde Longe ceremony at the open ground of the police college Ikeja on Tuesday.
Ayilara, it was gathered, died in the early hours of Thursday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
Sources close to the family told said he underwent prostate cancer surgery on Wednesday before he died hours later.
“We are very sad to inform you that our friend, brother, and family, the Commissioner of Police for Akwa Ibom State, Waheed Ayilara, is dead,” the family was quoted as saying.
A top police officer in Akwa Ibom State, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, also confirmed the CP’s death.
In November 2023, as a DCP, Ayilara was named as the acting Commissioner of Police in Lagos.
Ayilara, a former Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, took over from AIG Idowu Owohunwa.
Ayilara was deployed to head Akwa Ibom State Command in February 2024. by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun,