President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is under increasing pressure about the future of various Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) due to worries that Olatunji Disu, the recently appointed Inspector-General of Police, lacks a solid management team.
According to a number of sources within the Nigeria Police Force, senior officers are actively lobbying to hold onto their positions as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the top hierarchy.
Disu was appointed just two months before he was due to retire at the statutory age of sixty.
Disu, who was born in Lagos State on April 13, 1966, was elevated to Assistant Inspector-General on March 6, 2025. He was scheduled to retire on April 13, 2026, prior to being promoted to IGP.
Disu might stay in office until 2030, though, as an Inspector-General is entitled to a fixed four-year term under the modified Police Act, regardless of age or years of service.
Insiders assert that despite this clause, any extension past his original retirement date may be complicated by new institutional and political circumstances.
According to sources who spoke with Sahara Reporters, certain current DIGs are under increasing pressure to stay in their positions, claiming that any major reorganization would be premature given Disu’s approaching retirement.
In order to enable the new IGP to put together his own reliable management team, other stakeholders are allegedly pressuring the President to restructure the leadership structure.
According to a person close to the presidency, “pressure has been mounting to fire the DIGs because the newly appointed IGP, Disu, has no management team to work with, and the DIGs are mounting pressure to remain because they claim Disu is retiring soon.”
Allegations of political lobbying over possible succession scenarios complicate matters.
According to sources, former APC National Chairman Bisi Akande is advocating for DIG Adegoke Fayoade’s retention in order to position him to succeed Disu.
In order to maintain DIG Adegoke Fayoade in place of Disu, Bisi Akande is especially working to keep him. According to a source, he continues to exert pressure on Tinubu.
Insiders claim that Fayoade might be kept and put in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) while leadership talks continue, even if a reorganization eliminates other DIGs.
Internal rivalries have reportedly resurfaced as a result of the development, especially between powerful members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
A planned mandatory retirement of roughly thirty DIGs and AIGs following the departure of previous IGP Kayode Egbetokun was reportedly put on hold by the presidency last week.
In order to maintain command hierarchy, a number of DIGs, including those in charge of Finance, Logistics, ICT, Training, and Research and Planning, were tagged for retirement, according to an internal list that was circulating inside the Force.
But according to a source close to the presidency, President Tinubu stepped in to halt the mass retirement.
According to the source, “the Presidency has stopped firing DIGs and AIGs because the new acting IGP Disu needs their experience.”
