Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, was visibly moved as he returned to the Ago-Iwoye Police Division in Ogun State, the very station where he began his career as a Divisional Police Officer many years ago. The visit was part of a broader engagement with the Ogun State Police Command, a routine exercise in which the IGP has been touring divisions and commands across the state to assess operations and interact with officers on ground. For Disu, however, the stop at Ago-Iwoye carried a weight that went far beyond official duty, drawing him back into memories of a much earlier chapter of his life in the force.
Upon arrival, the IGP took a slow, deliberate tour of the division, walking through the corridors, offices and quarters that once formed the backdrop of his early years in service. He revisited the very room he used to occupy as DPO and stepped into the office he once worked from, pausing to take in details that had clearly stayed with him over the years. He did not stop there. He announced his intention to go further and walk through the streets surrounding the station, the same streets he once patrolled and grew familiar with as a young divisional officer finding his footing in a new and demanding role.
Speaking to those gathered, Disu was candid about how formative the posting had been for him. He explained that Ago-Iwoye was his very first police station, the place where he learnt, in practice rather than in theory, what it truly meant to be a DPO. It was there, he said, that his leadership abilities were tested for the first time in his career, at a point when he had never before held such a position and had no personal experience to fall back on. Every lesson, he indicated, was learnt on the job, shaped by the realities of the community he served.
The emotional undertone of his remarks was unmistakable. He admitted openly that being back on the grounds stirred something in him, and he spoke with visible nostalgia as he recalled specific, vivid details from his time there. He remembered an elderly woman who used to sell goods just in front of the station, a familiar fixture of daily life at the division. She reared goats, he recalled, and those goats had a habit of wandering into the station itself, a small but memorable detail of the everyday texture of life at Ago-Iwoye during his tenure. He also spoke fondly of a man he referred to as Papa Alhaji, describing him as someone who was already very old at the time, yet another face from a community that clearly left a lasting impression on him.
Beyond the personal reflections, the IGP used the occasion to deliver a broader message aimed not only at police officers but at professionals generally. He stressed the importance of leaving a positive legacy in every place one is opportuned to serve or work, regardless of profession. According to him, this is a principle he consistently emphasises to those around him: that wherever a person finds themselves working, they should strive to do well and leave a mark worth remembering. He framed this philosophy around a simple but pointed question, one he said he often poses to others, on whether an individual can comfortably return to a place they once worked and be received with warmth and respect, much like his own experience returning to Ago-Iwoye demonstrated.
