President Bola Tinubu has formally decorated Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, Tunji Disu, as the new Acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP.
The ceremony took place at exactly 3pm inside the President’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
In attendance were the Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, the immediate past IGP, Kayode Egbetokun and other top government functionaries.
President Tinubu personally pinned the new insignia on Disu’s uniform, alongside his wife, Folashade Disu, marking a symbolic transfer of leadership at the top of the Nigeria Police Force.
The development comes barely 24 hours after Egbetokun submitted his resignation letter, citing family matters that require his full attention.
In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President accepted the resignation and thanked Egbetokun for his service to the nation.
However, Presidency sources indicate that the former IGP was asked to step down during a meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa on Monday evening.
Disu’s appointment comes just 48 days before his scheduled retirement on April 13, 2026, when he would attain the official retirement age of 60. But under the amended Police Act, which allows an IGP to serve a four-year tenure regardless of age, he could remain in office until 2030 if confirmed.
For now, Disu remains in an acting capacity pending confirmation by the Nigeria Police Council.
His emergence is expected to trigger a major shake-up within the Force hierarchy. At least nine serving Deputy Inspectors-General, DIGs may retire in line with police tradition, where senior officers vacate their positions when a junior colleague is appointed IGP.
Sources within the Police Service Commission say between 15 and 20 senior officers could exit the system in the coming days.
Disu is expected to formally assume office at the Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, Abuja, with a handover ceremony and parade of senior officers.
Born on April 13, 1966, Disu joined the Nigeria Police Force in May 1992 and has spent over three decades in active service.
He rose to prominence as Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos State, where he rebranded the unit as “The Good Guys” and earned regional recognition for anti-crime operations.
He later headed the Intelligence Response Team and served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory before his elevation to rank of AIG in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos.
Beyond policing, Disu is also an accomplished judoka, winning medals at national and international competitions.
With his decoration now complete, attention shifts to his confirmation process and the sweeping changes his appointment is expected to bring within Nigeria’s policing structure.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
