₦airaland Forum

Tinubu Blocks Mass Firing Of 30 DIGs, AIGs Following Tunji Disu’s Takeover As Acting IGP



A planned shake-up that would have seen the compulsory retirement of around 30 Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) and Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) following the removal of Kayode Egbetokun as Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has been halted by President Bola Tinubu.

Egbetokun has since handed over to his successor, Acting IGP Tunji Disu.

SaharaReporters has exclusively learned that the President intervened to stop the mass firing of senior officers.

The appointment of a new Acting IGP has reignited a nationwide debate over the controversial practice of compulsory retirement for senior police officers. Historically, such transitions trigger a wave of exits among top-ranking officers.

An internal list circulating within the Force indicates that at least eight DIGs, including Yahaya Abubakar (Finance), Adebola Hamzat (Logistics), Adebowale Williams (ICT), and Frank Mba (Training), were expected to be retired to preserve the command hierarchy.

“However, the Presidency has halted the firing of DIGs and AIGs, saying the new acting IGP Disu needs their experience,” a Presidency source told SaharaReporters on Friday.

Disu’s appointment came less than two months before his scheduled retirement at the mandatory age of 60.

Born on April 13, 1966, in Lagos State, Disu, police serial number AP 41729, was promoted to Assistant Inspector-General on March 6, 2025, and was originally set to retire on April 13, 2026.

Under the amended Police Act, which allows Inspectors-General of Police to serve a four-year tenure regardless of age, he would have been eligible to remain in office until 2030.

However, SaharaReporters has learned that unlike his predecessor, Egbetokun, recent developments may prevent Disu from enjoying an extension beyond his scheduled retirement date.

“They’re pushing to ensure acting IGP Disu leaves in April, on the date he is required to retire,” the source said. “Several of the senior officers have had their hopes rekindled after the Police Service Commission, which had compiled 30 names of senior officers for retirement was asked to halt the process.”

On Tuesday, SaharaReporters broke the news that Egbetokun had been removed from his position as IGP.

In a related development, human rights lawyer and academic Prof. Chidi Odinkalu drew attention on Wednesday via his X account to a 2023 purge that saw the exit of several top-ranking officers following Egbetokun’s appointment as IGP.

At the centre of the controversy is a landmark court ruling, delivered just days after the death of the man who championed it, which declared such compulsory retirements unconstitutional.

Moses Jitoboh’s Case

When Egbetokun was appointed in June 2023, the Police Service Commission compulsorily retired then-54-year-old DIG Moses Ambakina Jitoboh, despite him having several years remaining before the statutory retirement age of 60.

The PSC had justified the move by citing a "police tradition" of retiring senior officers when a junior is promoted over them to avoid "status reversal."

Jitoboh, refusing to accept the decision, sued the PSC and the Nigeria Police Force at the National Industrial Court in Suit No: NICN/ABJ/274/2023.

In the lawsuit, he contended that his appointment was protected by statutory provisions and could not be cut short based on a policy decision that conflicted with the law.

In a landmark judgment delivered on January 13, 2025, Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae held that Jitoboh’s compulsory retirement was void, illegal, and unconstitutional.

The court ruled that the PSC lacked the power to arbitrarily truncate the career of a senior officer who had neither attained the mandatory age nor served the required 35 years.

Justice Obaseki-Osaghae was scathing in her evaluation of the PSC’s "status reversal" policy, stating, "The reasons proffered in the extract from the minutes, and the notice of compulsory retirement issued by the Police Service Commission are at best mere statements of policy intent; they have no force of law, and they are in conflict with the provisions of the Public Service Rule."

The court further held that the PSC failed to show any law that empowered it to retire a public officer with no blemish before their statutory time.

"The state of the law today is that Moses Jitoboh cannot be compulsorily retired from service by the Police Service Commission unless he has attained 60 years of age or 35 years of service... The Court finds that Moses Jitoboh has been in the service of the Nigeria Police Force since 1994 without any allegations of wrongdoing," it said.

In a tragic twist of fate, the victory was a hollow one for the Jitoboh family as DIG Jitoboh passed away on December 28, 2024, just two weeks before the verdict in his case was delivered. He was 54 years old.

Despite his death, the court proceeded to grant the following reliefs: "A Declaration that Jitoboh remains a DIG until June 10, 2029, when he would have served 35 years.

"An Order for the PSC to pay all outstanding salaries and allowances.

"General Damages of ₦50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) for the "unwarranted embarrassment" and "stigma" caused by the unlawful retirement.

"Cost of Action of ₦750,000.00."

Odinkalu, reflecting on the judgment, noted that neither the PSC nor the Nigeria Police Force filed an appeal against the ruling, effectively admitting that the purge was a legal error.

aariwa:
Something as simple as governing a nation God blessed with abundant natural and Human Resources to produce results and make the country work have now become rocket science to these people…smh..shame…shame…shame

Emeskhalifa:
But isn't retiring them the best thing to do? Or they should be retained and should serve under their junior officer?

Abeg give them better settlement, make them go rest.

Emeskhalifa:
But isn't retiring them the best thing to do? Or they should be retained and should serve under their junior officer?

Abeg give them better settlement, make them go rest.

Emeskhalifa:
But isn't retiring them the best thing to do? Or they should be retained and should serve under their junior officer?

Abeg give them better settlement, make them go rest.

SixSeven:
This is Bayo Onanuga PM media vs Sowore SR media. Bayo is showing Sowore that who is the Presidency is a question he can answer

Repost:

You know when someone said if the government denies something that, it means it's true, this is one of the moments I think that may be true. Egbetokun had enough time to resign. People have rejected appointments and extension of service. In fact, I remember Jega was offered an extension, he said no, my tenure has expired and he left. So, this story no gel. It's likely he was asked to resign or he had to go by force, which is what Sahara Reporters wants us to believe.

Life lesson we can learn from this 👇

Know when to leave, that's honour.


For this administration, they don't know how to clean up things so it makes a mess of everything they try to paint as white. This IGP was one that was supposed to leave, the last person I think that had this kind of executive fiat privilege was Ehindero. The news does not look good if you could extend his service when he was supposed to leave since and now you are telling us he has resigned Tell that to the marines. Didn't they tell this President that tenure extension could kill force morale What happened to the Nigerian Army before the shakeup? The President could attempt to give his ADC an undeserved promotion using presidential power. There is a reason why we have processes in place. You people can keep saying it's rewarding of loyalty but Obama's words are so important now. Build strong institutions, not strong men. Indeed, if you must be referred to as your excellency, then the process through which you arrived in the office must be excellent. What we are seeing in this administration is not by mistake. Person wey skip 300 level go do final year project, na for project defense we go see masquerade dance.

God give our leaders the sense to be more patriotic to the country than their ego.

ogododo:
https://saharareporters.com/2026/02/27/breaking-tinubu-blocks-mass-firing-30-digs-aigs-following-tunji-disus-takeover-acting

NSNO:
I'm sure you've not led a department in a church, mosque or school. And I know this because you think leadership is easy.

Emeskhalifa:
But isn't retiring them the best thing to do? Or they should be retained and should serve under their junior officer?

Abeg give them better settlement, make them go rest.

Omalicious1:
Politics don enter force...and you will be expecting those DIGs and AIGs to be saluting Disu (that was their junior)? Indeed, politics has entered the force.