The Police Service Commission (PSC) has elevated seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to the rank of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) in a major leadership restructuring announced on Friday.
The promotion, approved by the relevant authorities, comes amid the ongoing shake-up within the Force under the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, following recent changes in the top command structure.
The newly promoted officers previously headed strategic departments and zonal commands across the country before their elevation to the rank of DIG.
The promotions became necessary to fill the vacancies created by the retirement of eight (8) DIGs who previously occupied these strategic offices.
Below are the profiles of the seven officers.
Margaret Agebe Ochalla
Ochalla, one of the newly promoted Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, previously served as the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Lagos.
A native of Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State, Ochalla holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. She also obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Refugee Management as well as a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.
Over the years, she has held several strategic positions within the Nigeria Police Force. She served as Personal Assistant to successive Commissioners of Police in Anambra State and later became the Officer-in-Charge of the Monitoring Unit in the state command.
Ochalla subsequently served as Team Leader of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit and later as Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Force Gender Unit, where she played a key role in advancing gender-sensitive policing.
She also served as adviser to the Inspector-General of Police on gender issues before being appointed Commissioner of Police in charge of the Anti-Fraud Unit at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.
She later headed the Special Fraud Unit in Lagos as Commissioner of Police before her elevation to Assistant Inspector-General of Police.
During her career, Ochalla has received several awards and recognitions, including the Global Women Hall of Fame Award in Dubai, the Africa Women Leadership Award, the National Security Award for Excellent Performance from the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, and Female Commissioner of the Year at the National Security Conference Awards.
She has also been recognised for championing gender desks in tertiary institutions across the country to support victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
Zachariah Fera Achinyan
Achinyan served as the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 4 Command Headquarters in Makurdi prior to his elevation.
Zone 4 oversees police operations in Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states. During his tenure, Achinyan coordinated policing strategies and supervised security operations across the North-Central region.
He is a Fellow of the National Defence College (fdc), a strategic leadership programme for senior military and security officers.
Zango Ibrahim Baba
Baba previously served as the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Department of Logistics and Supply at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters.