Three years after the killing of Police Superintendent (SP) Bako Angbashim, the security operations launched in response to his death continue to feature prominently in accounts of Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu’s tenure as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State.
Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Rivers State, Dr Voke Emore, recalled Disu’s efforts in a statement yesterday, marking the anniversary of Angbashim’s death.
Angbashim, a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ahoada Police Division, was killed and beheaded at Odiemudie community in Ahoada East Local Government Area on September 8, 2023. His death heightened concerns over cult-related violence and insecurity in the area.
Emore said the then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, subsequently deployed Disu, who was then his Principal Staff Officer, to Rivers State to strengthen security operations in Ahoada East, Ahoada West and other troubled areas.
Disu assumed duty as the 45th Commissioner of Police in Rivers on November 15, 2023, declaring: “Nobody kills a police officer and goes scot-free.”
According to Emore, the statement became a major focus of the police response to the security challenges in the state, particularly the search for David Gift, popularly known as 2Baba, who was identified as the prime suspect in Angbashim’s killing.
He said Disu deployed intelligence-led policing, community engagement and inter-agency cooperation in operations targeting criminal and cult groups.
Emore said the operations culminated in a police raid on the gang’s camp at Odiemudie on February 10, 2024, during which 2Baba sustained injuries and later died.
He added that police intelligence subsequently led operatives to the suspect’s burial site at Ebrass in Ahoada West, where his remains were exhumed on February 23, 2024.
Emore also cited operations against other suspected cult figures, including Silas Oderereke, John Togo, David Izuma and Peter Chukwu, popularly known as Daddy Chukwu.
He said the operations increased security attention on communities affected by cult violence, kidnapping and other criminal activities.
At Disu’s send-off ceremony on October 9, 2024, the then Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Tammy Danagogo, who represented Governor Siminalayi Fubara, described him as an exceptional police officer who exceeded expectations despite the state’s challenging security and political environment.
Emore said Disu’s Rivers assignment underscored the role of intelligence-led policing, inter-agency collaboration, community engagement and police leadership in addressing insecurity.
His subsequent appointment as Inspector-General of Police, he added, further marked the progression of a career that remains linked in Rivers State to the security operations that followed Angbashim’s killing.
