He then moved to Ilorin, where he served in various capacities, finally becoming Kwara State Police Command administrative officer.
In 1988, he was promoted to commissioner of police and moved to Lagos, where he took over control of the Criminal Intelligence Divisional Force.
In 1996, Musiliu Smith was promoted to assistant inspector general of police, placed in charge of Zonal Headquarters, Kano.
[2] Smith was appointed the inspector general of police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 1999.
[4] Smith followed instructions from President Olusegun Obasanjo in refusing to follow up on charges of certificate forgery laid against Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, saying the court could not compel the police to do the investigation.