President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is facing increasing pressure on the future of multiple Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) due to worries that Olatunji Disu, the recently appointed DIG, does not have a solid management team.

Senior officers in the Nigeria Police Force are lobbying to keep their positions due to strong internal maneuvering caused by uncertainty around the top hierarchy, according to multiple sources within the force.

Just two months before Disu was due to retire at the necessary age of sixty, he received his position.

Disu was elevated to Assistant Inspector-General on March 6, 2025, after being born in Lagos State on April 13, 1966. Prior to being promoted to IGP, he was scheduled to retire on April 13, 2026.

However, regardless of age or years of service, an Inspector-General is entitled to a fixed four-year term under the modified Police Act, which means Disu might hold the position until 2030.

Despite this clause, insiders assert that any extension beyond his original retirement timeframe may be complicated by new institutional and political circumstances.

According to sources who spoke with Sahara Reporters, certain current DIGs are under increasing pressure to stay in their positions, claiming that any significant reorganization would be premature given Disu’s approaching retirement.

The President is allegedly being urged by various stakeholders to restructure the leadership structure so that the next IGP may put together his own reliable management team.

According to a source close to the presidency, “pressure has been building to fire the DIGs because the newly appointed IGP, Disu, has no management team to work with, and the DIGs are building pressure of their own to remain because they claim Disu is retiring soon.”

Allegations of political lobbying over possible succession scenarios complicate the situation.

According to sources, DIG Adegoke Fayoade’s retention is being pushed for by former APC National Chairman Bisi Akande in order to position him to succeed Disu.

“Bisi Akande is especially working to keep DIG Adegoke Fayoade on board in the hopes that he will succeed Disu. Tinubu is still under pressure from him, according to a source.

Insiders claim that Fayoade might be kept and put in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) while leadership talks are ongoing, even if a restructure eliminates other DIGs.

Internal divisions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in particular, are said to have resurfaced as a result of the development.

Following the departure of former IGP Kayode Egbetokun, news surfaced last week that the Presidency had stopped a planned mandatory retirement of roughly thirty DIGs and AIGs.

Several DIGs, including those in charge of Finance, Logistics, ICT, Training, and Research and Planning, were tagged for retirement in order to maintain command hierarchy, according to an internal list that circulated within the Force.

However, President Tinubu stepped in to halt the mass retirement, according to a source close to the presidency.

The insider stated, “The new acting IGP Disu needs their experience, so the Presidency has stopped firing DIGs and AIGs.”