Police rules require officers to retire at 60 years of age or after 35 years of service, whichever comes first.
On 24 February, President Bola Tinubu appointed Tunji Disu as the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), following the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun.
Mr Disu’s elevation came less than a year after he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in March 2025, marking a rapid rise to the top of the Nigeria Police Force.
His appointment is particularly notable because he was only 48 days away from reaching the mandatory retirement age. Born on 13 April 1966, Mr Disu joined the Nigeria Police Force on 18 May 1992. Under existing regulations, officers must retire upon attaining 60 years of age or completing 35 years of service—whichever occurs first. Without this new appointment, he would have exited the force in mid-April 2026.
Although he will complete 35 years of service in May 2027, his new role as IGP entitles him to a four-year tenure, unless he chooses to resign or is removed by the president.
A similar situation occurred with his predecessor, Mr Egbetokun. Appointed as the 22nd IGP on 19 June 2023 and later confirmed by the Nigeria Police Council on 31 October 2023, he initially faced retirement upon turning 60 on 4 September 2024. However, amendments to the Police Act by the National Assembly now allow Inspectors-General of Police to serve their full four-year terms regardless of age, unless they resign or are dismissed.
Though Mr Egbetokun was expected to remain in office until October 2027, he stepped down on Tuesday.
Who is Tunji Disu?
Mr Disu is a seasoned police officer with over three decades of operational and leadership experience.
Born on Lagos Island on 13 April 1966, he began his policing career in May 1992. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English Education from Lagos State University (LASU), along with a postgraduate diploma in International Relations and Strategic Studies. He also holds two master’s degrees: one in Public Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University and another in Criminology, Security and Legal Psychology from LASU.
Over the years, he has undertaken extensive professional training in Nigeria and abroad, covering areas such as small arms trafficking, cybercrime, strategic leadership, forensic investigation, and criminal intelligence.
Throughout his career, Mr Disu has served as Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in several states and led high-profile units including the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and anti-kidnapping teams. He also served as second-in-command at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Rivers State.
In 2005, he headed Nigeria’s first police contingent to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), where he acted as Chief of Staff in Darfur.
From 2015 to 2021, he commanded the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), a unit credited with significant crime reduction in Lagos. In 2021, he was appointed head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), and later served as Commissioner of Police in both Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Before becoming IGP, Mr Disu served as Assistant Inspector-General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex in Alagbon, Lagos. Prior to that, he was attached to the Special Protection Unit (SPU) at Force Headquarters in Abuja.
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