By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Nigeria Police Council has formally endorsed Olatunji Disu as the next substantive Inspector-General of Police (IGP), advancing his transition from acting head to confirmed national police chief, BlackBox Nigeria has learnt.
Disu’s confirmation by the Police Council on Monday at the presidential Villa follows his nomination by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after the resignation of former IGP Kayode Egbetokun in late February.
Egbetokun stepped down for personal reasons, prompting Tinubu to appoint Disu as acting boss on February 24, 2026.
The Police Council’s endorsement is a key step under the Police Act 2020 which clears the way for Disu’s name to be formally transmitted to the Senate for screening and confirmation as substantive IGP, which would give him a full four-year tenure in office if approved.
The backing of the Police Council has drawn praise from segments of civil society, legal experts and professional groups. The Guild of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria (GPBN), for example, issued a statement congratulating Disu and calling on him to pursue reforms aimed at improving accountability, intelligence-led policing, officer welfare and community engagement.
Disu, a career police officer with more than three decades of service previously led major units such as the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos, the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and served as Commissioner of Police in key commands, including the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State.
Following his appointment as acting IGP, Disu has already issued directives aimed at strengthening domestic security, including ordering Commissioners of Police across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to heighten surveillance and intelligence gathering amid evolving global tensions.
