Following the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Tunji Disu as Acting Inspector-General of Police.
Disu, a career police officer with over three decades of service, joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, as an Assistant Superintendent of Police. Over the years, he has held several strategic operational and intelligence positions across the country.
Early Career and Intelligence Roles
Disu served in various investigative and operational units, including as Officer in Charge of the Anti-Fraud Section at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Katsina between 1993 and 1998. In 1999, he was appointed Aide-De-Camp to then Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu.
He later held positions as Divisional Police Officer in Ondo State and Commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ondo and Oyo states. Between 2014 and 2015, he served in Rivers State as Officer in Charge of Anti-Kidnapping and later as Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Criminal Investigation Department.
From 2015 to 2021, Disu led the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), a unit credited with urban crime control operations. He subsequently served as Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and later as Commissioner of Police for Rivers State.
Before his latest appointment, Disu was Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex in Alagbon, Lagos.
Academic and Professional Background
Disu holds multiple academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in Criminology, Security and Legal Psychology from Lagos State University, and a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from the National Open University of Nigeria. He also earned a Master’s in Public Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University and an Advanced Diploma in Forensic Investigation and Criminal Intelligence from the University of Lagos.
He is 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 Management.
Awards and International Experience
Over the course of his career, Disu has received several awards, including Best Commissioner of Police of the Year at the 2024 IGP Recognition Awards. During his time as RRS Commander in Lagos, the unit received regional recognition for urban crime control.
In 2005, he led Nigeria’s first police contingent to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) in Darfur.
Beyond policing, Disu is a third dan black belt in judo and currently serves as National Chairman of the Nigeria Police Judo Association. He won a silver medal at the 2022 US Open Judo Championships.
The Road Ahead
Disu assumes office at a time of heightened security concerns across Nigeria. In line with the Police Act 2020, his appointment as Acting Inspector-General is subject to consideration by the Nigeria Police Council and confirmation by the Senate if nominated as substantive IGP.
His blend of intelligence operations, urban crime control experience, and academic background will now be tested as he leads the Nigeria Police Force through a critical period.