Police Shake-Up Looms: Disu’s Appointment Set To Force Mass Retirements Of Senior Officers

Insiders who spoke with Punch indicated that between 15 and 20 officers who outrank Disu could be impacted by the development.

One source at the commission explained that it has become common practice for officers senior to a newly appointed IGP to step aside.

“Based on recent precedent, Disu’s seniors may be required to tender their resignation letters. However, some may decide to remain and serve under a junior officer,” the source said.

He noted that within the ranks of Deputy Inspectors-General, there are officers whose contemporaries in the force still hold lower ranks such as Assistant Commissioners of Police. He cited DIG Frank Mba as an example, pointing out that some of his cadet mates are still Deputy Commissioners of Police and in similar positions.

The source added that aside from the nine DIGs, only a limited number of Assistant Inspectors-General are senior to Disu, estimating that between 15 and 20 officers could eventually resign.

However, other police insiders clarified that although such resignations are guided by tradition, they are not mandatory.

“The resignation of senior officers is not as firmly rooted in police culture as it is in the military. There have been cases where senior officers chose not to resign, just as there have been instances where they did,” another source explained.

Currently, the Deputy Inspectors-General who are senior to the acting IGP oversee critical departments such as Finance and Administration, Operations, Logistics and Supply, the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Training and Development, Research and Planning, Information and Communication Technology, and the Force Intelligence Bureau.

Sources further noted that if senior DIGs and AIGs decide to step down, the resulting vacancies could open opportunities for junior AIGs and Commissioners of Police to advance.

“Should the senior DIGs and AIGs resign, it would create room for their juniors and CPs to move up the ladder. Deputy Commissioners of Police and others in the hierarchy would also benefit from the ripple effect,” a source stated.

The anticipated shifts are likely to spark a new wave of promotions and redeployments within the Nigeria Police Force as the leadership structure adjusts to the change.