President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday formally decorated Tunji Disu with the rank of Acting Inspector-General of Police at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The ceremony, held at the President’s office around 4pm, was attended by 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 IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.
Disu’s appointment comes just 48 days before his scheduled retirement on April 13, 2026, when he will attain the mandatory retirement age of 60. However, under the amended Police Act, which provides a four-year tenure for Inspectors-General of Police regardless of age, he may remain in office until 2030.
During the event, Tinubu personally pinned the new insignia on Disu’s uniform and commended Egbetokun for his service to the nation.
The decoration followed Egbetokun’s resignation letter submitted on Tuesday, in which he cited family matters requiring his full attention. In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu accepted the resignation, expressed appreciation for Egbetokun’s contributions, and announced Disu’s appointment.
However, sources within the Presidency indicated that Egbetokun was asked to step down during a meeting with the President at the Villa on Monday evening.
Disu will serve in an acting capacity pending confirmation by the Nigeria Police Council, as required by the Constitution. According to Onanuga, the President will soon convene a meeting of the Council to formally consider Disu’s appointment as substantive Inspector-General of Police, after which his name will be forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.
His elevation is expected to trigger the retirement of several senior officers, including a number of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, in keeping with the tradition that senior officers step aside when a junior colleague is appointed IGP. Sources suggest that between 15 and 20 senior officers could be affected.
Disu is scheduled to formally assume office at the Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja, during a handover ceremony and parade of senior officers.
Born on April 13, 1966, in Lagos Island, Disu joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, and has served in various operational and leadership capacities for over three decades.
He holds a degree in English Education from Lagos State University, as well as two master’s degrees—one in Public Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University and another in Criminology, Security, and Legal Psychology from Lagos State University.
Throughout his career, Disu has undertaken several professional training programmes locally and internationally, including courses in small arms smuggling in Botswana, internet fraud at University of Cambridge, strategic leadership at the Police Staff College in Jos, and forensic investigations at the University of Lagos.
He gained national recognition as Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, where he served for six years and rebranded the unit as “The Good Guys.” Under his leadership, the squad received regional accolades for excellence in crime fighting.
In August 2021, he was appointed head of the Intelligence Response Team, succeeding Abba Kyari.
Disu has also served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, and most recently as Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex in Lagos.
Beyond policing, Disu is an accomplished judoka, holding a third-dan black belt. He won a silver medal at the 33rd U.S. Open Judo Championship in 2022 and has earned multiple gold medals at national competitions. He currently serves as patron of the Nigerian Police Judo Association.
During the 2020 #EndSARS protests, Disu—then head of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos—reportedly deployed the unit’s ambulances to assist injured protesters, a move that earned him public commendation.
He is also a member of several professional bodies, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
