Manny Ita –
Benjamin Hundeyin has been removed as the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) of the Nigeria Police Force and replaced by Anthony Okon Placid, a deputy commissioner of police, according to sources at the police headquarters.
Although an official statement had yet to be issued at the time of filing this report, sources at the police headquarters in Abuja confirmed the development, noting that the change forms part of an ongoing restructuring within the force.
The sources also disclosed that a new department known as the New Media Office has been established, with Ali Giwa, a chief superintendent of police, appointed to head the unit.
Officials familiar with the development said Hundeyin had been relieved of the position since Thursday and had already informed some of his associates about the change.
“He told people close to him that he had been asked to leave,” one source said. “But no announcement has been made since that day.”
Hundeyin was appointed the force spokesperson in September 2025 by the former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. At the time of his appointment, he held the rank of chief superintendent of police but was later promoted to assistant commissioner of police.
Before becoming the force spokesperson, Hundeyin served as the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command and had previously worked at the Zone 2 Command Headquarters in Lagos. In 2020, he was part of Nigeria’s contingent to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan.
Hundeyin holds a degree in English from Lagos State University and a master’s degree in Legal Criminology and Security Psychology from the University of Ibadan.
The development comes amid broader changes within the police leadership following the appointment of Olatunji Disu as the new Inspector-General of Police.
Eight deputy inspectors-general who were senior to Disu recently retired from the service, a move seen as part of efforts to maintain a clear chain of command within the force. Subsequently, seven assistant inspectors-general were promoted to the rank of deputy inspectors-general to fill the vacancies created by the retirements.
Bola Tinubu appointed Disu as acting Inspector-General of Police on 24 February following the resignation of Egbetokun. He was later confirmed as the 23rd substantive Inspector-General of Police by the Nigeria Police Council on 2 March.
