Recently, the Oriental Hotel on Victoria Island, Lagos, attracted a host of high networth guests, as it hosted the public presentation of two books by Superintendent of Police, Chidi Okoye. Titled, The Syndicate Affairs and Checkmate, it was organised by CO Books Enterprise and Solomon Arase and Associates.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone Two Command, Mr. Adegoke Fayoade, who was highly impressed with Okoye’s efforts at documenting some of his major cases, said despite the 24/7 duty call, Okoye still found time to write such books.

“He has been up and doing, improving himself, and he is a very versatile and deep investigator. My experience of him within the short period I had matters to do with him showed he is competent.  Give him any matter to handle, he goes deeper into it and makes sure he unravels the mystery behind it,” Fayoade said.

Recalling how Okoye, who is Head, Zonal Quick Interventions Squad at Zone Two, started writing the books, Fayoade said: “When he approached me that he is writing a book, he gave me a copy of it to go through. I discovered that the book is a collection of some of the cases we had handled in the past. And you will find that those cases are very interesting, as he is able to bring out the criminal aspects of them. He is also able to bring out the major elements of those cases, as if he is a qualified lawyer. In fact, the way he wrote this book, you think he has been to the law school. That’s why I’m imploring him to enrol for a degree in law without wasting time.”

According to Fayoade, Okoye’s effort is a confirmation to the fact that police officers also have time to read and are deep in intellect unlike the impression people have about policemen.

“This is an example of a police officer who is highly intellectual, who is an author, and has made us proud today. He has made Zone Two headquarters proud, made Nigeria Police proud, and we are very proud of him,” he added.

Also speaking, chairman of the occasion, Chairman, Ailes Group, Chief Michael Onuoha, described the author as a huge asset not only to the police, but also to the nation, adding that he will remain an inspiration to other officers and men of the force.

Onuoha assured that he would continue to support the work of the author, believing that Nigeria will create true men of his kind.Reviewing one of the books, The syndicate Affairs, the Arts Editor and Deputy Editorial Board Chairman, Vanguard Newspaper, Dr. Osa Mbonu-Amadi, described it as an expository narrative that reveals how people are framed sometimes for crimes and made to pay through their noses to prove their innocence.

He said the work is “unceasingly gripping,” comparing its pace and visual strength to global action thrillers. He stressed that from the prologue to the final chapter, the reader is transported into real, high-risk operations through vivid narration. The tension is balanced by humanity, specifically through a romantic subplot involving Funmi, an intelligent and graceful student of the University of Lagos, which gives emotional dimension to the otherwise dangerous world of crime-fighting.

While commending Okoye’s bold attempt at confronting Nigeria’s darkest social issues through literature. From gang rape and drug trafficking to extortion, fraud, and the weaponisation of blackmail, the book exposes the layered moral decay that thrives when criminals infiltrate institutions meant to fight them. Yet, rather than demonising the police, the novel offers balance, affirming that while there are ‘bad eggs’, there are also courageous officers risking their lives daily to uphold justice.

His words: “The title of the book is apt. The cover is beautifully designed with props indicating the nature of the subject matter. Employing real settings such as police stations, headquarters, towns, and estates in Lagos makes the plot convincing as more of a faction than fiction. Speaking of the genre, it’s not certain whether the account of detective Dikko on pages 175 to 177 about his entanglements with Funmi should be classified as faction or pure fiction. However, it is a smart way of cooling the tempo of the successive actions and letting the storyteller himself and the reader breathe. The chronicle of their intimate scene was also done with some level of decency, yet, you’ll know Dikko is a ‘bad boy’ in that field. But as grave as the subject matter is, it is commendable that the author sees the need to infuse some element of romance into the plot.”

The Professor of Public Law and Criminology, and Head, Dept. of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Olugbenga Akingbehin, in his review of Checkmate, described the book as described the work as “written in simple, fluid language” and praised its intimate grasp of criminal law. “It is difficult to believe that the author is not a lawyer,” he remarked with admiration. The professor explained that Checkmate is a collection of short fictional stories grounded in the complexities of Lagos criminal law and reinforced with references to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

He commended the book not just as entertainment but as a practical educational resource for law students, police officers, crime reporters, and the general public seeking to understand the real mechanics of justice.