From Ago-Iwoye to Force Headquarters, Abuja, the remarkable policing journey of Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, psc(+), NPM, has come full circle.
Decades after beginning his policing career at the Ago-Iwoye Police Division in Ogun State, the Inspector-General of Police recently returned to the station where he served as a young Divisional Police Officer (DPO), marking the beginning of a professional journey that would eventually take him to the highest leadership position in the Nigeria Police Force.
The visit was far more than a routine inspection.
It was an emotional homecoming and a reflection on the humble beginnings of a career built on discipline, duty, perseverance and service.
At the Ago-Iwoye Division, the IGP revisited his former office and walked through the residence where he once lived during his early years in service.
He also returned to the farm he cultivated while serving at the division.
Standing once again in the same environment decades later, Disu reflected on the journey that had taken him from a young DPO entrusted with the responsibility of leading a police division to the Inspector-General of Police responsible for the leadership of the entire Force.
The moment offered a powerful reminder to officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, particularly those at the early stages of their careers, that every accomplished professional was once a beginner.
His experience at Ago-Iwoye demonstrated that leadership is built progressively through service, experience and commitment at every level of responsibility.
It was in this spirit that the IGP posed a thought-provoking question:
“Can YOU visit where you worked before?”
The question went beyond nostalgia.
It encouraged police officers to remember their beginnings, remain connected to the communities they once served and appreciate the various stages that shaped their professional journeys.
For Disu, Ago-Iwoye is more than just another police division. It is the place where he first tested his leadership, assumed the responsibilities of a DPO and began building the professional foundation that would eventually lead him to Force Headquarters, Abuja.
His return therefore represented an operational pilgrimage of sorts — a reconnection with the past while reflecting on the responsibilities of the present.
The journey from Ago-Iwoye to Force Headquarters carries a timeless leadership lesson: no assignment is insignificant, no position is too small to matter, and every beginning holds the potential for something greater.
The young officer who once served at Ago-Iwoye could hardly have known the heights his career would eventually reach.
Yet, decades later, his professional journey brought him back to the same place where it began — this time as the Inspector-General of Police.
Indeed, every great journey has a beginning.
For IGP Olatunji Disu, that beginning was Ago-Iwoye.
