A security expert, Mr Seyi Babaeko, has welcomed the appointment of Mr Olatunji Disu as the new Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, describing it as a strategic move with the potential to modernize and reform the Nigeria Police Force.
Babaeko, Managing Director and CEO of Absolute Security and Advance Protocol Ltd, shared his views in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
He described the appointment as a timely and positive development for the country’s security landscape.
According to him, Disu is widely regarded as a seasoned officer with extensive operational experience, administrative capacity, and exposure to reform-oriented policing.
“His emergence at this critical time in Nigeria’s security landscape signals a potential shift toward strengthening internal security through professionalism, intelligence, and accountability,” he said.
Babaeko expressed cautious optimism, noting that Nigeria’s internal security challenges—including banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, communal conflicts, and post-conflict stabilisation —required proactive leadership.
He added that such leadership must be both technologically driven and people-centered.
“Disu’s track record suggests he understands the urgency of reform and operational efficiency, ” he said.
Babaeko said that key priorities for the new I-G should include immediate action, such as conducting operational audits, redeploying tactical units where needed, and implementing intelligence-led crime mapping to build public confidence.
He added that modern policing should be emphasised, with a focus on intelligence-driven operations, digital crime tracking, expanded forensic and cybercrime capabilities, upgraded surveillance systems, and stronger inter-agency collaboration.
Babaeko said that building community trust should be a priority, with efforts to engage communities, ensure transparent complaint mechanisms, and improve officer conduct to rebuild public confidence in the Force.
He added that professionalism and discipline must be enforced through ethical policing, zero tolerance for corruption, and enhanced officer welfare to improve service delivery.
The expert also emphasised that post-conflict security required stabilising affected regions through intelligence, civil cooperation, and conflict-sensitive approaches rather than heavy-handed enforcement.
He said that officer’s welfare should be improved through training, insurance, housing schemes, motivation, and equipment upgrades, as part of a comprehensive reform agenda.
According to Babaeko, Disu’s tenure presents an opportunity to reposition the Nigeria Police Force as a modern, technology-driven, and citizen-focused institution capable of addressing 21st-century security demands.
“If he combines operational decisiveness with structural reforms and accountability, his leadership could mark a transformative phase in Nigeria’s internal security framework,” he said
