The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has resigned from office, paving the way for the appointment of Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, as the new acting police boss ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Disu, who was promoted to the rank of AIG in March 2025, is expected to take over from Egbetokun, who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu on June 19, 2023. The former IGP was serving a four-year term scheduled to conclude in June 2027, in line with the amended provisions of the Police Act .
The IG’s continued stay in office had sparked widespread controversy in 2024 after Egbetokun officially reached the mandatory retirement age of 60 on September 4. However, his tenure was extended following an amendment to the Police Act by the National Assembly, a move critics described as designed to benefit Egbetokun personally .
Confirming the development, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that Egbetokun submitted his resignation letter on Tuesday, citing family issues requiring his undivided attention.
“The IGP resigned in a letter today, citing family issues which require his undivided attention,” Onanuga told Punch Online .
However, multiple presidency sources revealed that the former police boss was asked to step down during a meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday evening. Eyewitnesses observed Egbetokun’s official vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser with number plate NPF-01, parked at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa around 6:40 pm. He returned to the State House at about 8:00 pm, when his vehicle was subjected to search by DSS operatives .
“It was in that meeting he was asked to go,” a highly placed official in the Presidency stated on condition of anonymity .
President Tinubu accepted the resignation and expressed profound appreciation for Egbetokun’s decades of “distinguished service” to the Nigeria Police Force and the nation.
