NEW IGP, 48 days to retirement
The new acting Inspector General of @PoliceNG, Tunji Disu, was born on April 13, 1966. That means he is 59 years old. That is just 48 days before attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60. This is added to the fact that he was until his recent appointment an Assistant Inspector General(AIG).
DIG Frank Mba, the most senior serving officer in the Nigeria Police Force, has been bypassed once again in the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police, with AIG Tunji Disu elevated despite being junior in rank.
Mba’s exclusion marks the second consecutive instance under the current administration where he has been overlooked despite holding the highest-ranking position among eligible Deputy Inspectors-General and having sufficient years left in service.
In 2023, Mba was also passed over in favor of former IGP Kayode Egbetokun, who had fewer years remaining and was from the same South-West regional bloc as Disu.
The repeated bypass has left the South-East region without representation at the top of the Nigeria Police Force, despite producing the most senior eligible officer.
Force records confirm that Mba was at the top of the hierarchy at the time of both transitions, yet appointments continued to favor officers from the same region, raising concerns about the observance of federal character principles.
Security sources and lawmakers note that the extension of Egbetokun’s tenure in 2023 shifted the succession window, effectively blocking Mba from assuming the position.
The 2026 appointment followed a similar pattern, consolidating leadership within the same regional bloc while the South-East remains excluded. Retired senior officers describe this as a departure from long-standing tradition, where IGP appointments typically followed seniority among serving DIGs.
The absence of an official explanation has further strengthened the perception that the decision was politically and ethnically determined rather than institutionally guided.
@Barristerstreet
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