New Sheriff, Old Fears: The Heavy Burden on Acting IGP Tunji Disu
By Matthew Eloyi
President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Assistant Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu as Acting Inspector-General of Police comes at a delicate moment for Nigeria’s internal security architecture. Following the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun, the leadership transition at the Nigeria Police Force is more than routine administrative reshuffling; it is a test of whether fresh leadership can translate into tangible security gains for a weary public.
Nigerians are not short of police leadership changes. What they have been short of is sustained improvement in safety, responsiveness, and public trust. That reality frames the heavy expectations now resting on Disu’s shoulders. His professional résumé, spanning intelligence work, tactical policing, and leadership of high-pressure units, has earned him a reputation as a capable field officer. But the office he now occupies demands more than operational competence. It demands institutional courage.
The most immediate expectation is simple but daunting: Nigerians want to feel safer. From the highways plagued by kidnappers to communities troubled by violent crime, the public mood is one of fatigue and anxiety. Disu must therefore move quickly to demonstrate that the police under his watch will be more proactive, more visible, and more intelligence-driven. Symbolic patrols will not suffice; citizens will be watching for measurable improvements in response times, successful investigations, and disruption of criminal networks.
Equally pressing is the question of public trust. The Nigeria Police Force continues to struggle with a credibility deficit built over many years. Allegations of misconduct, poor professionalism in some quarters, and weak accountability systems have eroded confidence. Disu cannot afford to treat this as a public relations problem. It is a structural challenge that requires firm internal discipline, transparent handling of complaints against officers, and a clear signal that professionalism will be rewarded while abuse will be punished. Every unresolved case of police misconduct undermines the broader fight against crime.
There is also the institutional question. The problems confronting the police are deeply systemic: inadequate funding, welfare concerns among rank-and-file officers, outdated investigative capacity, and uneven deployment of modern technology. Nigerians will expect the new Acting IGP to push aggressively for reforms that improve both the working conditions of officers and the operational effectiveness of the force. Morale within the police matters; an under-motivated and poorly equipped force cannot deliver twenty-first century policing.
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Disu’s background in intelligence-led operations offers a potential advantage, but only if he scales that approach nationally. Modern crime in Nigeria is increasingly organised and mobile. A reactive policing model will continue to lag behind. What is required is stronger data gathering, better inter-agency cooperation, and a policing philosophy that prioritises prevention as much as enforcement. If Disu can institutionalise intelligence-driven policing across commands, he may begin to close the gap between criminal innovation and law enforcement response.
Communication will also be critical. Nigerians today demand more openness from security institutions than in the past. The new police leadership must engage the public consistently and credibly, not only when crises erupt. Regular briefings, transparent crime statistics, and visible engagement with communities will help rebuild confidence. Silence and opacity, by contrast, will only deepen suspicion.
Ultimately, Disu’s tenure, whether brief in acting capacity or confirmed substantively, will be judged not by the number of operations launched but by the everyday experience of ordinary Nigerians. Can commuters travel with less fear? Do communities see faster police response? Are officers more professional at checkpoints and in neighbourhoods? These are the practical metrics that matter.
Leadership transitions often generate hope. Sustaining that hope requires difficult decisions and measurable results. Tunji Disu steps into office at a time when Nigerians are impatient for change and increasingly vocal about their expectations. If he can combine operational toughness with institutional reform and genuine public engagement, his appointment could mark a positive turning point. If not, it risks becoming another missed opportunity in Nigeria’s long struggle to build a police force that fully earns the confidence of the people it serves.