The Nigeria Police Force has appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Placid as its new Force Public Relations Officer, replacing Benjamin Hundeyin.
The announcement was made on Sunday in a statement issued from the Force Headquarters in Abuja and signed by the outgoing spokesperson, Hundeyin.
Placid’s appointment comes just days after the swearing-in of the new Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, a development widely seen as part of a broader restructuring within the force.
Below are 10 things to know about the new police spokesperson:
1. Anthony Placid was born on December 2, 1970, in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State. He hails from Mbiokporo Nsit in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.
2. He attended University of Uyo where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography and Regional Planning.
3. Placid later earned a Master of Arts degree in Law and Diplomacy from University of Jos.
4. He also studied law at the National Open University of Nigeria, Calabar Study Centre, where he pursued a Bachelor of Laws degree.
5. Placid joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1996 as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police at the Nigeria Police Academy and was commissioned in August 1998.
6. He has attended several professional and international courses, including the United Nations Peace Operations Specialised Training programme, with certifications in Police Studies, Military Studies, Gender Awareness, International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights and Civilian Protection.
He also completed the UNITAR Senior Leadership and Peacebuilding course in Kenya.
7. Placid has served as Chief of Training at the African Union Mission in Sudan and as Head of Training and Development at the United Nations Mission in Darfur.
He also worked as an African Union Election Security Adviser.
8. Within Nigeria, he has served as Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa State, Divisional Police Officer in Federal Housing Calabar, Bakassi, Uruan and Gembu, and Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Robbery Unit in Kaduna State.
He also held positions as Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) in Akwa Ibom and Kogi States, and Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Intelligence Department in Abia State.
9. Placid is a graduate of the Senior Executive Course 47 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and was inducted as a Member of the National Institute (mni) on December 13, 2025.
10. The new police spokesperson is married with children and enjoys listening to music as well as playing football, basketball, table tennis and badminton.
