The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun (PhD), has resigned from office, the Presidency confirmed on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the development, stating that the police chief tendered his resignation letter to President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.
“The IGP resigned in a letter today, citing family issues which require his undivided attention,” Onanuga stated.
The Presidency further clarified that Egbetokun was not removed or dismissed from office, but voluntarily stepped down. “Egbetokun resigned today. He was not sacked,” according to Onanuga.
President Bola Tinubu has accepted the resignation, the Presidency said, and has named Assistant Inspector-General Tunji Disu as acting Inspector-General of Police pending confirmation by the Nigeria Police Council and the Senate.
Egbetokun’s resignation had followed a meeting with President Tinubu on Monday evening at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to sources familiar with the development, the Ogun-born police boss was specifically invited for the meeting, noting that it was not part of his routine engagements with the Presidency.
Dr. Kayode Egbetokun was appointed as the 22nd Inspector-General of Police on June 19, 2023, and his appointment was confirmed by the Nigeria Police Council on October 31, 2023.
In 2024, the National Assembly amended the Police Act to provide a fixed four-year tenure for the office of the Inspector-General of Police. Under this legal framework, President Tinubu extended Egbetokun’s tenure, enabling him to continue in office in line with the law.
Based on the provisions of the amended police act, Egbetokun would have completed his four-year tenure in June 2027.
A career police officer and dutiful security professional, Egbetokun joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1990 and served in several strategic roles, including Commissioner of Police and Deputy Inspector-General of Police and rose to the pinnacle of the Nigeria Police Force.
His tenure as IGP coincided with efforts to strengthen internal discipline, modernise policing operations, and enhance coordination among security agencies amid security challenges in the country.
