A Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Frank Mba, along with several other senior officers, are set to retire from the Nigeria Police Force following recent leadership changes within the institution.
The development comes as seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police are being considered for elevation to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police.
The anticipated retirement of Mba and other DIGs follows the departure of the former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the subsequent confirmation of Tunji Disu as the new head of the force.
Disu was sworn in on Wednesday as the 23rd indigenous Inspector-General of Police.
Sources at the Force Headquarters disclosed that the affected DIGs had already begun preparing for their exit but were awaiting formal directives.
According to one of the sources, many of the officers had already started clearing their offices in anticipation of their retirement.
“The DIGs are prepared to step aside, but they are waiting for the official signal. Some of them have already moved their personal belongings from their offices in readiness for the transition,” the source said.
Another insider revealed that seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police are scheduled to appear before the Police Service Commission on Friday for promotion examinations, a process expected to pave the way for the retirement of the outgoing DIGs.
“Seven AIGs have been shortlisted for elevation to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police, which will ultimately lead to the retirement of the current DIGs,” the source said.
The officers listed for promotion are Margreth Ochalla, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, Ishiaku Mohammed, Zachariah Fera, Zango Ibrahim, Umar Shehu Nadada, and Muhammed Abdul Sulaiman.
They are expected to appear before the commission in Abuja for the promotion exercise.
When contacted, the spokesman of the commission, Torty Kalu, neither confirmed nor denied the development.
Mba, one of the senior officers expected to bow out of service, is a trained legal practitioner. He obtained his law degree from the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002 after completing his studies at the Nigerian Law School in Abuja.
He later earned a Master’s degree in Law with distinction from the University of Dundee in Scotland.
Throughout his career, Mba also participated in several international training programmes, including the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, United States, as well as leadership courses at Harvard University and the University of Oxford.
During his years in service, he held key positions including Commissioner of Police in Ogun State and Commissioner of Police in charge of the Border Patrol Force at the Force Headquarters.
He also served as Area Commander in Ajah and FESTAC areas of Lagos during earlier stages of his career.