President Bola Tinubu has asked Kayode Egbetokun to step down as Nigeria police inspector-general, Peoples Gazette heard from two sources close to the development. 

The president promptly accepted the recommendation of Tunji Disu, an assistant inspector-general, as Mr Egbetokun’s replacement, the sources said under anonymity to discuss the matter. Mr Disu, another policeman of Yoruba origin like Messrs Tinubu and Egbetokun, is expected to be easily confirmed by the Nigerian Senate, having earned a reputation as one of Nigeria’s finest contemporary officers. His appointment came after a meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday evening, sources said, during which Mr Egbetokun was asked to turn in his resignation.

It was not immediately clear if Mr Egbetokun signalled any objections to the president’s decision. A police spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment on the development on Tuesday afternoon. 

A State House source said an official announcement will soon follow the decision, adding that the president wanted to chart a new security course ahead of Nigeria’s general elections a year away. Mr Egbetokun has been widely seen as controversial, and his continued hold as the nation’s police boss could hurt the president’s reelection chances, The Gazette heard.

The news that Mr Egbetokun was on his way out was first reported on Tuesday morning by Sahara Reporters, which also identified Mr Disu as the potential replacement. The president has faced condemnation for what critics saw as his failure to reflect Nigeria’s ethnic and religious diversity in his top appointments. 

Hitherto, Mr Egbetokun has faced widespread criticism, especially from political activist Yele Sowore, for remaining in office beyond September 2024 when he reached his official retirement age. 

Prior to his appointment as IGP, Mr Disu was the AIG in charge of the Force Crime Investigation Department (FCID) Annexe, Alagbon, Lagos. Before his deployment to head the FCID in Lagos State, he served as the police commissioner at the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State Police Commands in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Before his appointment as CP, he was Principal Staff Officer to Mr Egbetokun. He was also the head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos.

Mr Disu, born on April 13, 1966, and hailing from Lagos State, is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He attended the Lagos State University in 1990, where he obtained a degree in English Education. In 2000, he earned a diploma in international relations and strategic studies from Lagos State University. He went on to acquire a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba, Ondo state. He also obtained a Master’s degree in Criminology, Security, and Legal Psychology from Lagos State University in 2022.

He was recruited nto the Nigeria Police Force as an Assistant Superintendent of Police on May 18, 1992, and received his training at the Nigeria Police Academy in Wudil, Kano State.