The appointment of Tunji Disu as Acting Inspector-General of Police by Bola Tinubu, following the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun, has resulted in the retirement of several senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force, including Deputy Inspector-General Frank Mba.
Mr Egbetokun resigned after a meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. His exit came despite earlier amendments to the Police Act that had allowed him to remain in office beyond the statutory retirement age in order to complete a four-year tenure. The amendment provided that an appointed Inspector-General of Police could serve a fixed term regardless of age or years in service.
With Mr Egbetokun’s resignation, Mr Disu, who was serving as an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, was appointed Acting IGP. His elevation has implications within the Force hierarchy. Under police regulations and service structure, officers senior to an appointed IGP are required to retire to preserve the chain of command. As a result, eight Deputy Inspectors-General are affected by the new appointment.
Among them is Frank Mba.
Mr Mba joined the Nigeria Police Force as an Inspector and rose through the ranks over more than three decades. He was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1999, Deputy Superintendent in 2003, Superintendent in 2008, Chief Superintendent in 2012, Assistant Commissioner in 2014, Deputy Commissioner in 2018, and Commissioner of Police in 2020. In March 2023, he was decorated as an Assistant Inspector-General before subsequently attaining the rank of Deputy Inspector-General.
He served three times as the National Police Public Relations Officer, making him one of the longest-serving spokespersons in the history of the Force. Between 2006 and 2007, he was part of the Nigerian contingent to the United Nations Mission in Liberia, for which he received a UN Medal.
At the time of Mr Disu’s appointment, Mr Mba was among the most senior officers in the Nigeria Police Force. However, the elevation of a junior officer to the position of IGP automatically necessitated his retirement under existing command structure rules.
Mr Disu, born on April 13, 1966, enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992. Prior to his appointment as Acting IGP, he served in several operational and leadership roles, including as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. He also headed the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) between 2015 and 2021 and led the Intelligence Response Team (IRT). He was promoted to Assistant Inspector-General of Police in March 2025.
At the time of his appointment, Mr Disu was less than two months away from the statutory retirement age of 60. However, as with previous appointments, elevation to the office of Inspector-General provides for a four-year tenure unless the officeholder resigns or is removed by the President.
The scenario mirrors events in June 2023 when Mr Egbetokun was appointed IGP. At that time, officers senior to him were retired to regularise his position within the Force hierarchy. The National Assembly subsequently amended the Police Act to allow him complete his four-year tenure despite reaching retirement age. He eventually resigned before the end of that term.
With Mr Disu’s appointment, the cycle has repeated. Senior officers, including Frank Mba and seven other Deputy Inspectors-General, are required to leave the Force to align the command structure with the new leadership.
The development highlights how appointments at the apex of the Nigeria Police Force directly affect succession dynamics and retirement timelines among senior officers. In this instance, Frank Mba’s career in the Force concludes not through disciplinary action or expiration of tenure in rank, but as a consequence of hierarchical realignment following the appointment of a new Inspector-General.
