New Telegraph-Admin 
Olatunji Disu holds a black belt in judo, without wearing it on his face until action calls him to duty. He is like your everyday police officer, pursuing daily bread while protecting lives and property. And that is until you get very close to the new Inspector General of Police (IGP).
During the #EndSARS protest of 2020, while soldiers opened fire on defenceless civilians at Lekki Toll Gate and Gen. Ahmed Taiwo swore that there was no such incident, Disu, as commander of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) released ambulances under his control to convey injured protesters to the nearest medical facilities.
As Lagos bled and movement was restricted, the RRS offered emergency services to a woman in labour who was trapped on the road at night. Under Disu, Lagosians began to see the RRS as friendly police. The commander himself named his team: ‘The Good Guys’. Expectations are high that the new IGP will turn the force into a formidable family of ‘Good Guys’, nationwide. The new police officer will neither accept nor ask for ‘egunje’.
We are going to have friendly cops who will demand gratification, to grant suspects bail. Disu received excellent marks from one of his predecessors, Sir Mike Mbamaonyeukwu Okiro, who went on air to applaud President Bola Tinubu for looking the way of his first Aide de Camp (ADC) as Lagos State governor in 1999. Okiro, a crack Operations officer, disclosed that he noticed Disu’s sterling qualities when the new IGP served under him in Lagos.
Those were the years when hoodlums troubled Eko and met their waterloo in equal measure, from Idimu to Ilasamaja and beyond. Okiro, an Igbo man, from Imo/Rivers, dismissed claims that Tinubu was turning the IGP position to a Yoruba office, emphasising that Disu succeeding Kayode Egbetokun had more to do with competence than tribal considerations. Okiro’s story followed a similar pattern. President Umaru Yar’Adua picked him ahead of Ogbonnaya Onovo, who spent barely 24 hours in office as IGP. Onovo later returned as Okiro’s successor, making it the first time of having two consecutive Igbo IGPs.
To have an efficient and modern police force, the welfare of officers and men must take precedence over postings and appointments
However, it must be noted that under presidents of Yoruba extraction, all Inspectors General turned out to be from the South-West Geo Political Zone. Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo began with Musliu Smith, replaced him with Tafa Balogun before handing the position over to Sunday Ehindero.
Tinubu is doing exactly the same. From Kayode Egbetokun, the job has gone to Disu. President Muhammadu Buhari inherited Solomon Arase, from the South-South but did not bother to look down South when the Edo man’s tenure elapsed. He was more at home with Northern officers. Jonathan paid as much attention to the North as well. Okiro’s assessment of Disu carries a lot of weight.
And with that, the issue of tribe and tongue should be laid to rest. The new IGP is tested and trusted. He was Rivers State Commissioner of Police before moving to the Federal Capital Territory in the same capacity.
His predecessor also found him capable as Principal Staff Officer (PSO). In 2005, Disu led the Nigerian contingent to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). In 2022, he succeeded Abba Kyari as Head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT). An officer who has served at home and outside Nigeria deserves his feathers beyond being seen from the prism of Tinubu’s ADC, in Lagos. It is also important to put the records straight.
Deputy Inspector General Frank Mbah was not denied the top job because of tribalism. And it is unfair to allege that his junior was promoted over and above him. Mba benefited more from accelerated promotion under the Tinubu regime. Some of his mates are still below the rank of Commissioner of Police (CP). Disu and Mba were cadets in 1992. The former was an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in training while the latter joined as Cadet Inspector. To show that Mba was promoted to DIG to fill the South-East quota, his rank as Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in 2019 tells the story.
At the same time, Moshood Jimoh was a rank his senior, as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). Presently, Jimoh is the Lagos State Commissioner of Police while Mba is a Deputy Inspector General, two ranks above his senior and predecessor as Force Public Relations Officer. Without the sectional veil, Disu as attested to by Okiro, is well suited for the job of IGP.
What he needs from the President is his full support. To have an efficient and modern police force, the welfare of officers and men must take precedence over postings and appointments. The nation is under policed. At the same time, some stations have been dismantled for lack of manpower. This is a society that is at risk of terrorist attacks regularly. Without funding, Disu will end up in frustration. The force needs technology to fight crime. A judoka will be practically impotent when confronted with a machine gun wielding bandit.
