Why Tinubu Bypasses Senior DIGs Including Frank Mbaise, Appoints Fellow "Yoruba Officer" Tunji Disu As IGP

 

Reasons have just emerged why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu refused to appoint an Igbo man, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Frank Mba who is the next in command as a replacement to the sacked Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.

The resentment and hatred President Tinubu has for the Igbo has given credence to appointing Assistant Inspector-General Olatunji Rilwan Disu, a fellow Yoruba officer, as the new head of the Nigeria Police Force.

The decision places Disu, an AIG, above several serving Deputy Inspectors-General of Police and breaks the force’s established seniority tradition.

Those bypassed include Frank Mba, the DIG in charge of Training and Development from the South-East, who is one of the most senior officers in the hierarchy and had been widely tipped for the position.

The development is expected to force the retirement of the affected DIGs to maintain the command structure.

Egbetokun, also a Yoruba officer appointed in June 2023, was asked to step down at the Presidential Villa on Monday, making this the second time a senior non-Yoruba officer has been overlooked for the top police job under Tinubu’s administration.

The move is already generating reactions over ethnic balancing and federal character within the security architecture, coming amid a broader security leadership reshuffle ahead of the 2027 elections.

Disu, a former head of the Intelligence Response Team and ex-Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, will assume office once the Police Service Commission gives formal confirmation.