The Inspector-General says community trust, youth support and local collaboration are essential to lasting security and sustainable development

Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu has called for a stronger police-Rotary partnership in communities across Rotary International District 9141, urging Rotarians and police commanders to work together on youth safety, community trust and grassroots security.

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Disu made the appeal in Benin City in 2026 while addressing Rotarians including District Governor Anthony O. Woghiren,

Rotary International President Olayinka Hakeem Babalola and Rotary Foundation Trustee Ijeoma Pearl Okoro, alongside visiting district governors, incoming district governor Anthony Chibueze Olikagu and other leaders of District 9141.

The address brought together two parts of Disu’s public identity that he described as closely connected: his leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and his membership of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt.

Rather than treating security as the responsibility of law enforcement alone, Disu argued that sustainable safety must grow from relationships between police officers and the communities they serve.

“You cannot police a community that does not trust you,” Disu told the gathering.

“You can deploy officers. You can mount operations. You can enforce curfews and establish checkpoints from here to Sokoto.

But if the people look at the uniform and see an adversary rather than a protector, you have already lost the most important battle before a single shot is fired.”

The argument reflects a wider emphasis on community engagement that has featured in Disu’s approach since he became Inspector-General of Police in February 2026.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Disu following the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun, with the Nigeria Police Council subsequently endorsing the appointment. Tinubu formally swore Disu in as substantive Inspector-General on March 4, 2026.

The President had urged Disu to restore peace, strengthen security and rebuild public confidence in the police, describing the task as a significant challenge for the country’s new police leadership. (State House Abuja)

Disu told the Rotarians that policing could not succeed through enforcement alone.

“Security is not a product of force alone. It is a product of relationship,” he said, arguing that public cooperation often develops when communities see the police as partners rather than outsiders.

That philosophy formed the centrepiece of his proposal to District 9141.

Disu asked Rotary club presidents to identify the police division closest to their communities and establish practical working relationships with the relevant commanders.

The proposed collaboration could include youth safety forums, community dialogue sessions, mentorship schemes for vulnerable young people and public awareness campaigns developed jointly by Rotary clubs, police officers and residents.

The IGP said the initiatives did not necessarily require large financial commitments. What mattered, he suggested, was a deliberate decision by community organisations and law enforcement agencies to combine their strengths.

His appeal carries particular significance for a district whose footprint covers Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo and Delta states.

Rotary District 9141 has been pursuing community-focused projects across the Niger Delta, including initiatives in literacy, water provision, education and youth development.

Disu linked those development efforts directly to security, arguing that communities cannot fully benefit from infrastructure, education or economic opportunities when residents live under persistent fear.

“You cannot build a road in a community paralysed by fear. You cannot run a school in a town where teachers are afraid to remain after dark. You cannot grow a market where traders cannot move their goods without paying a toll to criminals,” he said.

For the police chief, the relationship between security and development is therefore not incidental.

He argued that every project disrupted by insecurity represents both a security setback and a development setback, particularly in communities where poverty, limited opportunity and violence can reinforce one another.

Disu also placed young people at the heart of the proposed partnership.

He said Rotary’s mentoring and community programmes could help prevent young people from becoming vulnerable to criminal recruitment, describing youth engagement as an important but sometimes overlooked element of crime prevention.

“A young person with a Rotary mentor is a young person we may never need to arrest,” he said.

The idea complements Rotary’s longstanding focus on community service.

Rotary International says its network of volunteers works on humanitarian challenges including peacebuilding, education, disease prevention and economic and community development.

The gathering also highlighted the growing international role of Nigerian Rotarians.

Babalola, a member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi in Nigeria, became Rotary International president for 2026-27 on July 1, becoming the second African to lead the global organisation.

Rotary International said his presidential focus includes strengthening peacebuilding and supporting sustainable, community-led solutions.

His rise has added a distinctive Nigerian dimension to Rotary’s global leadership.

Babalola previously served as a district governor, Rotary International vice-president and member of the Rotary International Board before taking the organisation’s top volunteer leadership position.

Okoro, another member of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, also occupies a significant international Rotary role.

She is a Rotary Foundation trustee for 2024-28 and has served in several Rotary leadership positions, including work related to polio eradication, fundraising and community health.

Her presence at the event provided another reminder of the influence of District 9141 members beyond their immediate communities.

Disu paid tribute to Okoro as a fellow member of the Port Harcourt club and described her international role as a source of pride for the district.

The IGP also acknowledged Woghiren, visiting district governors, past district governors, assistant governors and Rotaractors, placing particular emphasis on the contribution of younger volunteers.

He described Rotaractors not simply as future leaders but as part of Rotary’s present-day service network.

The personal tone of the address was evident throughout.

Disu said he had initially been asked what a policeman could possibly have in common with Rotary when he joined the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt.

His answer, he told the gathering, was ultimately straightforward: service.

He argued that police officers and Rotarians may approach community problems from different directions, but both are driven by an obligation to respond when others are in need.

The distinction, he said, is that “the Rotarian wakes up and asks: where is the need? The police officer wakes up and asks: where is the threat?”

For Disu, both questions lead towards the same principle of service.

That message also fits with his broader emphasis on community partnership since taking charge of the police force.

At the Nigeria Police Force’s 2026 National Police Day, held under the theme “Community Partnership: Building Trust”, Disu urged officers to uphold professionalism, discipline and public confidence.

The proposed Disu police-Rotary partnership would take that principle from a broad policing philosophy into local action.

The model would allow Rotary clubs to contribute their established community relationships and development experience, while police divisions would provide security expertise and links to formal law enforcement structures.

For communities, the intended benefit would be a more connected approach in which security concerns are discussed alongside education, youth development, health, economic opportunity and other local needs.

Disu concluded his address by presenting the relationship between police and citizens as a shared civic responsibility rather than a one-sided obligation.

He invoked Sir Robert Peel’s 1829 principle that police and the public are inseparable, arguing that public safety becomes more sustainable when citizens actively participate in creating it.

“Police and communities must be partners, not adversaries,” Disu said.

For District 9141, the challenge now is to turn that message into practical collaboration.

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If Rotary clubs and police commanders follow through on the proposed local partnerships, the result could extend beyond individual projects to a more durable network of trust between communities and the institutions responsible for their safety.