A leadership exit that reshapes command
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday formally accepted the resignation of Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, bringing to an end a tenure that had drawn sustained public debate over statutory retirement rules and Police Act amendments.
In the same announcement, the presidency confirmed the appointment of Assistant Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu as Acting Inspector-General with immediate effect.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga described the resignation as voluntary, citing “pressing family considerations.” However, multiple sources within the Presidency indicated that the development followed a meeting between the President and the former police chief at the Presidential Villa.
Egbetokun had been appointed in June 2023 and was serving a four-year term following legislative adjustments to the Police Act that allowed an IGP to complete tenure irrespective of age limits.
A tenure debate that never fully settled
The resignation revives unresolved tensions surrounding the interpretation of the Police Act 2020, which prescribes retirement at 60 years of age or 35 years of service.
Egbetokun attained the age of 60 in 2024, after which the National Assembly amended relevant provisions to allow completion of his four-year tenure. That legislative move had generated political and civil society criticism, with opponents describing it as tailored to benefit an incumbent.
By stepping down before the projected end of tenure, the presidency appears to have defused a legal and institutional friction point that had lingered within security discourse.
Disu steps in under acting capacity
Disu, born April 13, 1966, now assumes command in an acting capacity pending confirmation by the Nigeria Police Council and subsequent transmission to the Senate.
A career officer who joined the Force in 1992, Disu has served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, and most recently as Assistant Inspector-General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex in Lagos.
He is academically decorated, holding degrees in English Education, Public Administration, and Criminology, Security and Legal Psychology. His prior leadership of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos earned him recognition for adopting a community-oriented policing model branded internally as “The Good Guys.”
Why this transition carries systemic weight
Beyond a routine change of guard, the transition arrives amid heightened national security pressures, including kidnapping incidents, violent crime spikes, and debate over state police reforms.
Institutional stability at the apex of the Nigeria Police Force directly affects operational continuity, command hierarchy discipline, and policy direction at both federal and state levels.
The Police Service Commission is simultaneously preparing to commence screening for 50,000 constables in March 2026 — a recruitment drive that could reshape manpower distribution nationwide.
Leadership certainty at the top will determine how smoothly those structural adjustments unfold.
The stability question now facing Louis Edet House
Disu’s appointment as Acting IGP introduces a critical timing factor: he is scheduled to reach the statutory retirement age of 60 in April 2026.
Civil society groups have already raised concerns that the short tenure window could create another leadership reset within weeks unless legal adjustments mirror previous precedent.
Under long-standing force tradition, the elevation of a junior officer to IGP often triggers retirement considerations for senior Deputy Inspectors-General and Assistant Inspectors-General above him in rank — a development that could reshape the high command structure.
Whether those cascading exits occur will depend on policy choices made in the coming days.
A reset moment with measured consequences
The presidency has framed the resignation as orderly and voluntary. Yet the broader implications extend beyond one individual.
Nigeria’s security architecture is entering a recalibration phase — one that tests how leadership transitions interact with statutory rules, political perception, and operational command discipline.
The coming weeks will determine whether this shift represents institutional stabilization or the beginning of another cycle of succession uncertainty within the Nigeria Police Force.
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