SP Bako’s Three-Year Memorial: Dr Voke Emore Reflects on IGP Disu’s Legacy as Rivers CP
For many pundits and security analysts, it was a mission accomplished for the present Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, when he served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and led the operation in synergy with other security agencies that ultimately neutralised David Gift, the leader of a notorious gang linked to the killing and beheading of SP Bako Angbashim, the former Divisional Police Officer of the Ahoada Police Division in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.
Angbashim was killed on September 8, 2023, in Odiemudie community, Ahoada East LGA, an incident that sent shock waves across Rivers State and heightened concerns over cult-related violence and insecurity in the area.
Against the backdrop of the escalating insecurity, the then Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, deployed his Principal Staff Officer, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to Rivers State to restore security in Ahoada East, Ahoada West and other troubled parts of the state.
Disu was relatively new to command, as Rivers State was his first posting as a Commissioner of Police. However, he was not new to tactical policing and the disruption of criminal networks, having served in several strategic positions, including the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos State.
Upon assuming duty on November 15, 2023, as the 45th Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Disu’s message was clear: “Nobody kills a police officer and goes scot-free.”
The statement became one of the defining messages of his administration, particularly as he visited the Ahoada Police Division, where Angbashim had served as DPO before his death.
Aware of the enormity of the task before him, Disu charged officers and men in Ahoada East and Ahoada West to intensify efforts to bring the prime suspect, David Gift, also known as 2Baba, and members of his gang to justice.
TARGETING CRIMINAL NETWORKS
As a tactician who had headed several tactical formations, including the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, where he earned a reputation for confronting criminal gangs, Disu began his tenure in Rivers by focusing on the disruption of criminal networks.
His approach was largely centred on identifying and targeting the leaders of criminal groups rather than concentrating solely on their foot soldiers.
He also worked to restore the morale of police personnel following the gruesome killing of Angbashim, bringing renewed impetus to the Command’s crime-fighting operations.
For a police officer who understood the importance of community policing and policing by consent, Disu kept his doors open to members of the public and encouraged their cooperation with the police in the fight against crime.
His leadership also strengthened cooperation between the police and other security agencies in the state, with the aim of reducing inter-agency rivalry and improving coordinated responses to security threats.
Through technical and digital intelligence, several members of criminal gangs were arrested or neutralised as the Rivers State Police Command intensified its search for the prime suspect, David Gift, aka 2Baba.
THE FALL OF 2BABA
The synergy established by Disu with other security agencies and members of the public in the state contributed to intelligence-led operations against the gang.
On February 10, 2024, the police raided the gang’s camp in Odiemudie. During the operation, 2Baba reportedly sustained injuries in an encounter with the police and died the following day, February 11, 2024.
His lieutenants were said to have taken away his remains and buried him at Ebrass in Ahoada West Local Government Area on the same day.
However, on February 23, 2024, police intelligence uncovered the location of the burial. The remains were exhumed and subsequently displayed at the Rivers State Police Command headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State Government later redeemed the N100m bounty earlier placed on 2Baba and his gang by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
For many residents, the development represented the culmination of efforts to bring those linked to Angbashim’s killing to justice. However, the neutralisation of 2Baba was only one aspect of the wider security operations carried out under Disu’s leadership.
ASSAULT ON CULT GANGS
Before the operation that led to the death of 2Baba, the Rivers State Police Command under Disu had intensified its operations against other notorious criminal and cult groups across the state.
In the first week of January 2024, the Command neutralised Silas Oderereke, also known as General Oderereke, described as a notorious Greenland cult leader, armed robber and kidnapper operating in Ahoada West Local Government Area.
On January 28, 2024, the Command recorded another major operation with the neutralisation of John Togo, an Iceland cult leader described as a serial killer, armed robber and sea pirate who had terrorised Bonny Local Government Area and other parts of the state.
The offensive continued on March 26, 2024, when the Command neutralised David Izuma, another Greenland cult commander described as a serial killer and armed robber operating in Ahoada West.
On April 8, 2024, the Disu-led Command also neutralised Peter Chukwu, aka Daddy Chukwu, an Iceland cult leader who was believed to be responsible for the killing of more than 40 people in Mgbuoshimini community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, over a period of seven years.
Through these operations, the Rivers State Police Command under Disu’s leadership brought renewed security attention to several communities affected by cult-related violence and other criminal activities.
RECOGNITION OF DISU’S PERFORMANCE
The impact of Disu’s tenure was also acknowledged at his send-off ceremony on October 9, 2024.
Representing Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the event, the Secretary to the State Government, SSG Tammy Danagogo, praised Disu as an exceptional police officer who exceeded expectations despite the challenging political and security environment in the state.
His crime-fighting approach also attracted commendation from stakeholders across different political divides in Rivers State.
For many observers, Disu’s tenure in Rivers State was marked by an aggressive focus on dismantling criminal networks, strengthening inter-agency cooperation, improving police morale and deepening collaboration between the police and members of the public.
His subsequent elevation to the position of Inspector-General of Police has therefore provided another chapter in a career that, for many Rivers residents and stakeholders, remains closely associated with the security operations undertaken during his tenure as Commissioner of Police in the state.
Written by Dr Voke Emore Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Rivers State.
