By Augustine Ehikioya
Backed by wealth of experiences and trainings garnered over the years, Olatunji Ridwan Disu has been appointed as the 23rd indigenous Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Though still in acting capacity, IGP Disu was appointed by President Bola Tinubu to replace the immediate past IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.
Long before the new appointment, the Acting IGP has been identified by the Security Watch Africa (SWA) as an outstanding Police Officer and awarded accordingly in Dubai and South Africa.
As the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), RRS was awarded the Most Outstanding Urban Crime Control Police Command in West and Central Africa in 2019 by SWA.
The SWA also named Lagos State as the Best Security and Most Safety Conscious State in Africa in 2016 in Johannesburg, as a result of Disu-led RRS.
Other SWA awards the Acting IGP Disu won included the Best Anti-Crime Police Squad in West Africa, 2016, the Most Outstanding Police Operational Officer in West Africa, 2016, the Most Outstanding Police Operational Officer in Africa, 2016, and the Most Outstanding Anti-Crime Police Chief in the West and Central Africa category.
Also prior the new appointment, Disu has held key positions during his career in the Nigeria Police Force.
He was the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Alagbon, Lagos till the new appointment.
Other appointments included Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG)
Special Protection Unit (SPU), Force Headquarters, Abuja – March 2025 – February 2026
FCT Police Command, October 2024 – March 2025
Commissioner of Police (CP), Rivers State Police Command, November 2023 – October 2024.
Commissioner of Police, Admin and Intelligence, Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) March 2023 – June 2023
Deputy Commissioner of Police Head, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), August 2021 – March 2023
Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Admin Operations, Force Headquarters, 2021
Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Lagos, 2015 – 2021
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, Rivers State, 2014 – 2015
Officer in Charge, Anti-Kidnapping Rivers State, 2014 – 2015
Officer in Charge, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ondo State/Oyo State, 2011 – 2014
Divisional Police Officer, Ondo State, 2007 – 2013
Officer in Charge Training, Nigerian Police Peace–Keeping Department, 2006 – 2007
Directing Staff, Nigerian Police Academy, Kano, 2005
Aide-De-Camp (ADC) to the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu 1999
Officer in Charge, Anti-Fraud State Criminal Investigation Department, Katsina, 1993 – 1998
He also successfully led the first-ever Nigerian Police contingent on the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to quell the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, in 2005.
Other awards he won during his career are Best Commissioner of Police of the Year at the 2024 Inspector General Police (IGP) Recognition Awards, and One of the longest-serving and best Divisional Police Officers in Ondo State.
Hė was also named as the Best Commissioner of Police of the Year 2024 and named by the Crime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (CRAN) as Man of the Year 2018.
IGP Disu also belongs to numerous Professional Bodies including International Academy of Forensics.
Certificate in Personal Protection, National Association of Investigative Specialists, United States of America (NAIS), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), and International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Born in Lagos State, he was appointed into the NPF on the 18th May 1992 as Assistant Superintendent of Police.
His Educational background included MSC in Entrepreneurship, NOUN (2023), MSC in Criminology, Security and Legal Psychology, LASU (2022), Advanced Diploma in Forensic Investigation and Criminal Intelligence, UNILAG (2019)
Others are MSC, Public Administration, Adekunle Ajasin University (2010), PGD International Relations and Strategic Studies, LASU (2000), and B.A English (Education), LASU (1990).
