By Millicent Onaga, Enugu
“Discharge your duties with the fear of God at all times, and make prayers your watch word in all that you do in life.”
These were the words of the newly promoted assistant commissioner of police, ACP Danlandi Mashat, of the Enugu state command as he counselled his colleagues at a thanksgiving church service/sent off ceremony at the Uwani police station, Enugu. The service was held in his honour by friends and well-wishers.
Mashat attributed his success in life and carrier to prayers and fear of God, guided by a realisation of the need to always discharge his duties with the fear of God.
Speaking with newsmen, the police officer opined that, as human beings, we must always have faith in God no matter the circumstances we find ourselves, adding that we must always embrace prayers, “because it remains the master key to any problem or difficulty one may be going through in life.
Orient Daily reports that the Plateau state-born top police officer, who was recently elevated from the rank of chief superintendent of police, became popular in the Enugu command following his use of both practical experience and spiritual approach in discharging his duty.
He is known for delivering criminal suspects of unclean spirits when these are found among those arrested by his men, an act that stood him out in all the locations he served in Enugu state.
On the elevation he said: “this promotion is telling me that I should do more. Secondly, it is God that brought me to this level. I should serve God while doing the police work. The challenge has been tasking and onerous, but I thank God for everything.
“You know, in the police, we have chaplaincy. Fortunately or unfortunately, I’m not part of it, but I know that God is supreme and I know that, without him, nobody will perform this job.
“There was the case of somebody who came and said I was affecting them spiritually; that person is somebody who will touch the wall and you see him disappearing. Suddenly, when he came, I don’t know what moved me. I laid my hands on him and started praying; he started vomiting razor blade and charms.
“In this police work, you can’t do it without prayer so what has been my strength is prayers, wherever I am, I pray for my station. In fact, yesterday, somebody came to tell me that they did not burn my station during the #EndSARS because of the way I handled them.
“That really moved me, and shows that wherever you are policing, you should police with the fear of God and people will be there to protect you when there is problem.
“There was a day I was sleeping and I heard God clearly saying ‘why are your men collecting money and giving you bribe in disguise?’ That very day, I came back to the station, brought signal to all of them that I don’t want anybody to give me one naira.
“God is everything. That has been my strength. I pray in the morning in the evening and night; that has been my strength.
“They brought an armed robber to my office and he ran away, saying there was fire in my office and nobody was seeing the fire. I knew God was there and was always there. When you truly worship God, he will do it for you and he can even give you riches.
“What I will like to be remembered for is when people say I’m upright; when they say ‘this man helped me’ and my legacies will speak for me.”