Nigeria Police Name Anthony Okon Placid as New Spokesman

Segun Atanda

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Okon Placid as the new Force Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force.

The appointment was announced today in Abuja in a statement issued by the outgoing police spokesman, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Hundeyin.

Hundeyin described Placid as a seasoned officer with wide-ranging experience in police administration, operations, intelligence, training and international peacekeeping assignments.

Placid, who was born on December 2, 1970, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, hails from Mbiokporo Nsit in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Uyo and a master’s degree in Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos. He also studied law at the National Open University of Nigeria, where he pursued a Bachelor of Laws degree.
He joined the police as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent at the Nigeria Police Academy in Kano in 1996 and was commissioned in August 1998.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Placid has completed a number of professional and international training programs, including the United Nations Peace Operations Specialized Training program. The courses covered areas such as police studies, military studies, gender awareness, international humanitarian law, human rights and civilian protection. He also attended the UNITAR Senior Leadership and Peacebuilding course in Kenya.

Placid has served in several operational and leadership roles in Nigeria and abroad. His assignments include Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa State and at the Police Staff College in Jos. Internationally, he served as Chief of Training with the African Union Mission in Sudan and as Head of Training and Development with the United Nations Mission in Darfur.

His other postings include Divisional Police Officer in Federal Housing Calabar, Bakassi, Uruan and Gembu; Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Robbery Unit in Kaduna State; African Union Election Security Adviser; Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) in Akwa Ibom and Kogi States; Assistant Commissioner in the Intelligence Department in Abia State; and Deputy in charge of Administration and Finance at Zone 3 Headquarters in Yola.

Placid is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and a Commonwealth-certified human rights trainer, as well as a trainer for the International Committee of the Red Cross on international humanitarian law.

He is a graduate of the Senior Executive Course (SEC 47) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Plateau State, and was inducted as a Member of the National Institute in December 2025.

Police authorities said Placid is married with children and enjoys music and sports, including football, basketball, table tennis and badminton.