BREAKING: Disu assumes duty as acting IG

President Bola Tinubu has decorated Tunji Disu with his new rank as the acting Inspector-General of Police at the State House, Abuja.

The ceremony, which took place at 4pm at the President’s office, had in attendance the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and the immediate past IG, Kayode Egbetokun.

His appointment came just 48 days before his scheduled retirement on April 13, 2026, when he would have reached the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.

However, under the amended Police Act, which allows Inspectors-General of Police to serve a four-year tenure regardless of age, Disu may remain in office until 2030.

Tinubu, who pinned the new insignia on Disu’s uniform, commended the outgoing IGP Egbetokun for his service to the nation.

The ceremony comes barely 24 hours after Egbetokun submitted his resignation letter to the President on Tuesday, citing family issues that require his undivided attention.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday, Tinubu accepted the resignation and expressed appreciation for Egbetokun’s service, while announcing Disu’s appointment.

“The IGP resigned in a letter today, citing family issues which require his undivided attention,” Onanuga had stated.

However, multiple Presidency sources told our correspondent that Egbetokun was asked to step down during a meeting with the President on Monday evening at the Presidential Villa.

“It was in that meeting he was asked to go,” a highly placed official stated on condition of anonymity.

Our correspondent had observed Egbetokun’s official vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser with number plate NPF-01, parking at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa around 6:40 pm on Monday, the same time governors were arriving for an interfaith breaking of fast with the President.

Disu remains in an acting capacity until his confirmation by the Nigeria Police Council, in accordance with the Constitution.

According to Onanuga, “In compliance with the provisions of the Police Act 2020, President Tinubu will convene a meeting of the Nigeria Police Council shortly to formally consider the appointment of AIG Disu as substantive Inspector-General of Police, after which his name will be transmitted to the Senate for confirmation.”

Meanwhile, Disu’s appointment will see the retirement of at least nine Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, in line with the tradition that senior officers vacate their positions when a junior colleague is appointed IGP.

Eight DIGs currently serving at Force Headquarters, including DIG Adebola Hamzat (Logistics and Supply), DIG Mohammed Gumel (Force Intelligence Department), DIG Adebowale Williams (ICT), and former Force spokesman DIG Frank Mba, may be affected by the new appointment.

A source within the Police Service Commission said the new development could lead to the exit of between 15 and 20 senior officers who are Disu’s seniors.

“Going by recent practice, Disu’s seniors might have to submit their resignation letters. We might have those who may wish to stay behind and salute their juniors.

“The fact is that among the DIGs, we have people whose colleagues are still ACPs. Somebody like DIG Frank Mba, though those he joined the force with as cadets are still DCPs and the likes.

“Apart from the nine DIGs, the AIGs who are senior to him are not many. Between 15 and 20 may resign,” a source told The PUNCH.

The new IGP is expected to formally assume office at the Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday in a ceremony that will include a formal handover and parade of senior officers.

Born on April 13, 1966, on Lagos Island, Lagos State, Disu joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, and has served for over three decades across multiple operational and leadership roles.

A graduate of English Education from Lagos State University, Disu holds two master’s degrees, one in Public Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, and another in Criminology, Security, and Legal Psychology from Lagos State University.

He has attended numerous professional training courses within and outside Nigeria, including Small Arms Smuggling Training in Botswana, Internet Fraud Training at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, Strategic Leadership Command Course at the Police Staff College, Jos, and Forensic Investigations and Criminal Intelligence Course at the University of Lagos.

Disu rose to national prominence as Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos State, where he served for six years and rebranded RRS officers as “The Good Guys.”

Under his leadership, the unit won the Best Anti-Crime Squad award in West Africa in 2016, and he was named Most Outstanding Anti-Crime Police Chief in West and Central Africa in 2019.

On August 2, 2021, he was appointed to head the Intelligence Response Team, replacing the suspended Abba Kyari.

The IRT is a specialised unit tasked with investigating high-profile crimes and coordinating intelligence operations across the country.

Disu has served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Before his elevation to IGP, he was Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos.

He also served as Principal Staff Officer to Egbetokun and has held various operational positions including Divisional Police Officer in Ago Iwoye (Ogun State), Ikare (Ondo State), Owo (Ondo State), and Elimgbu and Elelenwo in Rivers State.

In 2005, Disu led Nigeria’s first police contingent to the African Union Mission in Sudan, serving as acting Chief of Staff in Darfur.

Outside policing, Disu is a judoka, holding a third-dan black belt.

He won a silver medal at the 33rd U.S. Open Judo Championship in 2022, competing in the under-100kg veteran category.

He has also won gold medals at the National Sports Festival, Nigerian Police Games, and is currently the patron of the Nigerian Police Judo Association.

During the 2020 #EndSARS protests against police brutality, Disu, then head of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, reportedly released the unit’s ambulances to assist protesters in need of medical care, a gesture that earned him public commendation.

He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.