President Bola Tinubu has decorated Tunji Disu with his new rank as the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
The event follows the resignation of the former police boss, Dr Kayode Egbetokun, who stepped down on Tuesday citing personal family reasons.
The decoration ceremony, held at the Presidential Villa, was attended by top government officials, including the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and Egbetokun.
During the event, Tinubu charged the new police chief to tackle the nation’s security challenges with renewed vigor and professional integrity.
Tinubu, who pinned the new insignia on Disu’s uniform, also commended the outgoing IGP Egbetokun for his service to the nation.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Tunji Disu will remain in an acting capacity until his confirmation by the Nigeria Police Council, in accordance with the Constitution.
According to Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, “In compliance with the provisions of the Police Act 2020, President Tinubu will convene a meeting of the Nigeria Police Council shortly to formally consider the appointment of AIG Disu as substantive Inspector-General of Police, after which his name will be transmitted to the Senate for confirmation.”
Biography
Born on April 13, 1966, on Lagos Island, Lagos State, Tunji Disu joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, and has served for over three decades across multiple operational and leadership roles.
A graduate of English Education from Lagos State University, Disu holds two master’s degrees, one in Public Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, and another in Criminology, Security, and Legal Psychology from Lagos State University.
He has attended numerous professional training courses within and outside Nigeria, including Small Arms Smuggling Training in Botswana, Internet Fraud Training at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, Strategic Leadership Command Course at the Police Staff College, Jos, and Forensic Investigations and Criminal Intelligence Course at the University of Lagos.
Disu rose to national prominence as Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos State, where he served for six years and rebranded RRS officers as “The Good Guys.”
Under his leadership, the unit won the Best Anti-Crime Squad award in West Africa in 2016, and he was named Most Outstanding Anti-Crime Police Chief in West and Central Africa in 2019.
On August 2, 2021, he was appointed to head the Intelligence Response Team, replacing the suspended Abba Kyari.
The IRT is a specialised unit tasked with investigating high-profile crimes and coordinating intelligence operations across the country.
Disu has served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Before his elevation to IGP, he was Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos.
He also served as Principal Staff Officer to his former boss, Egbetokun and has held various operational positions including Divisional Police Officer in Ago Iwoye (Ogun State), Ikare (Ondo State), Owo (Ondo State), and Elimgbu and Elelenwo in Rivers State.
In 2005, Disu led Nigeria’s first police contingent to the African Union Mission in Sudan, serving as acting Chief of Staff in Darfur.
Outside policing, Disu is a judoka, holding a third-dan black belt.
He won a silver medal at the 33rd U.S. Open Judo Championship in 2022, competing in the under-100kg veteran category.
He has also won gold medals at the National Sports Festival and Nigerian Police Games, and is currently the patron of the Nigerian Police Judo Association.
During the 2020 #EndSARS protests against police brutality, Disu, then head of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, reportedly released the unit’s ambulances to assist protesters in need of medical care, a gesture that earned him public commendation.
He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
