New details have surfaced regarding the resignation of former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, with sources citing months of unpaid state command allocations, contentious promotions, and disputes over key postings.
Sources familiar with developments told Vanguard that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was alarmed by the rising wave of kidnappings, community attacks and killings across states including Kaduna, Niger, Kwara, Zamfara, Kebbi and Adamawa.
According to the sources, an internal review revealed that some state police commands allegedly did not receive their monthly allocations for operational, administrative and logistics purposes for between six and seven months.
The development, it was learnt, severely hampered the ability of officers to respond effectively to security threats.
“There is no way non-remittance of monthly allocation will not affect the running of the Police commands,” a source said.
The discovery reportedly unsettled the Presidency, which subsequently directed Egbetokun to proceed on retirement.
Another episode said to have strained relations involved the removal of Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Olatunji Disu, from the Special Protection Unit (SPU).
Disu had reportedly been tasked with overseeing the withdrawal of police personnel from VIPs. However, he was replaced by a coursemate of the former IGP, a move perceived in some quarters as an act of dissent.
Sources said the Presidency ordered Disu’s reinstatement to the SPU, while the officer who replaced him was placed on administrative leave. Egbetokun, however, allegedly redeployed Disu to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Lagos, further escalating tensions.
Egbetokun’s tenure was also reportedly dogged by allegations of abuse of special promotions.
Insiders claimed that some officers were granted accelerated promotions without meeting stipulated qualifications, passing required examinations or accumulating the necessary years of service.
“Within a few years, some officers got promoted three times without the necessary qualifications, while their peers remained at lower ranks,” a source alleged.
The situation was said to have dampened morale within the Force and disrupted merit-based progression.
Meanwhile, indications emerged that some of the 39 senior officers – including Deputy Inspectors-General and Assistant Inspectors-General – who are senior to Acting IGP Disu are lobbying the Presidency, National Assembly and the Police Service Commission to retain their positions and continue serving under him.
Disu, appointed last week following Egbetokun’s resignation, joined the Nigeria Police Force in May 1992. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English Education from Lagos State University and master’s degrees in Public Administration as well as Criminology, Security and Legal Psychology.
He was confirmed as the 23rd Indigenous Inspector-General at the Police Council meeting held today, March 2, 2026, in line with provisions of the Police Act 2020.
Egbetokun had been appointed the 22nd IGP on June 19, 2023, succeeding Alkali Baba, whose tenure ended in September 2023 following an extension granted by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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