THE Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has approved the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Anthony Placid, as the new Force Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force.
Placid replaces Benjamin Hundeyin, who served as the spokesperson of the force and has now stepped down from the position following the latest redeployment approved by the police leadership.
The development was announced in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja by Hundeyin, who signed the statement as the outgoing Force Public Relations Officer.
According to the statement, Placid is a seasoned police officer with extensive experience spanning administration, operations, intelligence, training and international peacekeeping assignments.
Born on December 2, 1970, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the newly appointed police spokesman hails from Mbiokporo Nsit in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of the state.
Placid holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Uyo and a Master of Arts degree in Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos. He also pursued legal studies at the National Open University of Nigeria, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree.
The statement further disclosed that Placid joined the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police at the Police Academy Kano in 1996 and was commissioned into the force in August 1998.
Over the years, he has attended numerous professional and international training programmes aimed at strengthening his expertise in policing and security management.
These include the United Nations Peace Operations Specialised Training (POST), where he earned certifications in Police Studies, Military Studies, Gender Awareness, International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights and Civilian Protection.
He also participated in the UNITAR Senior Leadership and Peacebuilding Course in Kenya.
Throughout his career, Placid has held several strategic positions both within Nigeria and internationally.
His previous assignments include serving as Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa State as well as Police Public Relations Officer at the Police Staff College in Jos.
He also served as Chief of Training for the African Union Mission in Sudan and later as Head of Training and Development with the United Nations Mission in Darfur.
Within Nigeria, Placid has worked as Divisional Police Officer in several locations including Federal Housing in Calabar, Bakassi, Uruan and Gembu.
He also served as Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Robbery Unit in Kaduna State and later functioned as an African Union Election Security Adviser.
Other roles he held include Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) in Akwa Ibom and Kogi States, Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Intelligence Department in Abia State, and Deputy in charge of Administration and Finance at Zone 3 Headquarters in Yola.
In addition to his operational and administrative experience, Placid is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and also serves as a Commonwealth Human Rights Trainer.
He has equally worked as a trainer with the International Committee of the Red Cross on International Humanitarian Law.
The newly appointed Force Public Relations Officer is also a graduate of the Senior Executive Course 47 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.
He was inducted as a Member of the National Institute (mni) on December 13, 2025, before his redeployment to Cross River State.
According to the statement, Placid is married with children and enjoys leisure activities such as listening to music and playing football, basketball, table tennis and badminton.