The Nigeria Police Council officially confirmed Tunji Disu as the substantive Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on Monday, March 2, 2026.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Disu was confirmed as the 23rd IGP at a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which included the 36 state governors and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission.
Disu, who has been serving in an acting capacity since February 24, succeeds the immediate past IGP, Kayode Egbetokun after the latter’s resignation.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed this after the Council’s meeting at the State House, Abuja, which lasted about 40 minutes.
The council’s meeting complies with the provisions of the Police Act 2020, which requires the Police Council to consider the appointment.
Those who attended the meeting are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Head of Civil Service, Didi Walson-Jack, and Governors of Enugu, Nasarawa, Ogun, Kwara, Plateau, Ondo, and Lagos.
The Deputy Governor of Kogi State also attended alongside the Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Police Affairs, and Interior.
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.
