Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu hosted a state banquet on Saturday night in honour of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, using the occasion to celebrate the police chief’s rise through the ranks and his longstanding ties to Lagos.
The event took place at the State House in Marina and drew a mix of senior government officials, security leaders, traditional and community figures, and other dignitaries.
In remarks shared on Sunday, Sanwo-Olu described Disu as a proud son of Lagos whose journey to the top of the Nigeria Police Force reflects the values of discipline, service and integrity.
The governor said the honour was not only a recognition of Disu’s new national role but also an acknowledgement of the city that shaped his early life and development.
According to Sanwo-Olu, Lagos knew Disu long before he became Inspector-General, saying the city’s streets, institutions and communities helped form the character that later defined his public service career.
He pointed specifically to Lagos State University, where Disu studied, and Lagos Island, where he was born, as places that contributed to his personal and professional growth.
The governor also highlighted Disu’s previous service in the state, especially his time as commander of the Rapid Response Squad, one of Lagos’ key security formations.
During that period, Sanwo-Olu said, Disu helped strengthen security operations and improve public confidence through more visible and responsive policing.
His remarks framed the police chief’s national appointment as a continuation of a track record already established in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu said Disu’s career progression serves as a reminder that leadership is built through sustained hard work, personal integrity and commitment to public duty.
He added that Lagos has a tradition of producing people who do more than dream, saying the state also nurtures individuals who go on to lead institutions and build society.
The governor described the banquet as both a celebration of service and a reflection of what he called the Lagos spirit, expressing pride that values developed in the state are now represented at the Force Headquarters.
Disu was appointed Inspector-General of Police by President Bola Tinubu on February 24 following the resignation of his predecessor, Kayode Egbetokun.
His emergence marked a significant transition in the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and placed a former Lagos security commander at the head of the country’s top law enforcement institution.
Born on April 13, 1966, on Lagos Island, Disu began his education at Mayflower Junior School in Ogun State before attending St. Gregory’s College in Lagos, where he completed his secondary education in 1985.
He later earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Education from Lagos State University in 1990.
Before his appointment as Inspector-General, he was widely known in Lagos for leading the Rapid Response Squad from 2015 to 2021, a period during which the unit played a visible role in urban security management.
See pictures from the banquet below:Â
The banquet therefore served as both a ceremonial welcome to his new office and a symbolic home-state endorsement of one of Lagos’ most prominent security figures.
It also underscored the close relationship between state governments and national security institutions at a time when policing and public safety remain major national concerns.
