Who is Tunji Disu? New IGP Nigerian Police Force
Tunji Disu (born 13 April 1966) has been appointed Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police, subject to approval by the Nigerian Senate. He was also the previous Police Commissioner for Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. He was a commissioner of police in Rivers State before being assigned by Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police, to Abuja as the new commissioner of police in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the former head of the Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT), a position previously held by Abba Kyari. He was the Principal Staff Officer for the Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Who is Tunji Disu?
Tunji was born on Lagos Island, Lagos state, on April 13, 1966, and attended Holy Cross Cathedral Primary School before finishing his primary education at Mayflower Junior School in Ikenne, Ogun State in 1979. He also attended Pobuna Secondary Grammar School in Epe and St Gregory’s College in Lagos, where he completed his secondary school in 1985.
He eventually enrolled in the English (Education) program at Lagos State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English education in 1990. He graduated from Lagos State University with a post-graduate diploma in international relations and strategic studies, as well as a certificate in personal protection from the UK.
Disu has two master’s degrees in Public Administration and Criminology, Security, and Legal Psychology from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (2010) and Lagos State University (2022), respectively.
He has also attended various professional courses within and outside Nigeria, including Small Arms Smuggling Training in Botswana, Internet Fraud Training at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, Strategic Leadership Command Course at the Police Staff College, Jos, and Forensic Investigations and Criminal Intelligence Course at the University of Lagos, among others.
Career
Tunji Disu joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992. Disu had previously served as DPO in Ago Iwoye (Ogun State), Ikare (Ondo State), Owo (Ondo State), Elimbu, and Elelenwo, all in Rivers State.
He was also in charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and anti-kidnapping operations in Rivers State. He was the SARS commander for Ondo, Oyo, and Rivers states. He was also the second-in-command (2IC) of the Rivers State Criminal Investigations Department.
In 2005, as a contingent commander, he led the first Nigerian Police deployment on a peacekeeping operation with the African Union operation in Sudan. While in Darfur, he was named interim Chief of Staff till his return to Nigeria in 2006.
From June 13, 2015, to August 2021, he was the leader of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS). While at RRS, Disu nicknamed his officers ‘The Good Guys’, which helped reform officers to enforce the law responsibly while remaining pleasant to residents.
Under Disu, the RRS offered services using a partnership-based and proactive problem-solving approach to policing, with a focus on community participation, crime prevention, and law enforcement.
The RRS also effectively used crime mapping and hot spot policing, which resulted in the conspicuous location of police patrol cars for crime reduction around Lagos.
The RRS, in turn, gained the cooperation and admiration of Lagosians. According to reports, the officers assist drivers of broken-down vehicles as well as accident victims. During the Lagos COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, Disu cops transported a woman in labour to the hospital.
Disu’s cops had an unconventional mindset and followed the concept of consent-based policing, which is common in sophisticated countries. RRS personnel were trained in administering First Aid and CPR, which they used to assist civilians in emergencies.
Tunji Disu worked as the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja. On August 2, 2021, Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector-General of Police (2022), named Disu as the new head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), succeeding Abba Kyari.
In July 2022, Usman Alkali Baba, the inspector-general of police, praised the Disu-led Force Intelligence Bureau Intelligence Response Squad (FIB-IRT) for recent victories, including the arrest of a fraud network that specialised in breaking bank accounts of individuals and corporations. The Nigerian Police Service Commission promoted DCP Tunji Disu to the rank of Commissioner of Police in March 2023.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Disu as Acting Inspector General of Police in February 2026, succeeding Kayode Egbetokun, who had resigned.
