The presidency has accepted and confirmed the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun from his role as the Inspector-General of Police.
According to reports, the former police chief resigned due to family obligations that required his full attention.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, stated, “The IGP resigned in a letter today, citing family issues that require his undivided attention.”
However, several presidency sources told our correspondent that Kayode Egbetokun was requested to resign during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday evening.
“It was in that meeting he was asked to go,” a highly placed official in the presidency stated on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Around 6:40 p.m. on Monday, our correspondent spotted the IGP’s official car, a Toyota Land Cruiser with number plate NPF-01, parked on the forecourt of the Presidential Villa.
Kayode Egbetokun, clothed in his black suit without his cap, exited the vehicle and returned to ask for his notepad from an aide, who quickly reached into the vehicle and brought it to him.
The IGP arrived around the same time the governors arrived for an interfaith fast with the President, creating some initial confusion regarding the purpose of his visit.
However, another Villa insider stated that the president expressly summoned Egbetokun that evening.
“He was called in. It wasn’t a routine visit,” the source stated.
Security authorities told our correspondent that the IGP returned to the State House at 8:00 p.m. after his vehicle was searched by DSS operatives at the Villa.
Egbetokun, who was named IGP on June 19, 2023, has faced growing criticism for the country’s deteriorating security situation, particularly a wave of kidnappings, banditry, and terrorist assaults throughout numerous states.
Recent high-profile occurrences include the kidnapping of approximately 300 students from St. Mary’s boarding school in Niger State in November 2025, mass killings in Kwara State towns in February 2026, and ongoing kidnappings along key routes.
During Monday’s Iftar with governors, the President promised that the establishment of state police to tackle instability would not be postponed, claiming that “security is the foundation of prosperity.”
“Without it, farms cannot flourish, businesses cannot grow, and families cannot sleep in peace. We will establish state police to curb insecurity,” Tinubu had stated at the event.
Prior to his appointment as IGP, Egbetokun was Deputy Inspector-General of Police in command of the Force Criminal Investigations Department.
He succeeded Usman Alkali Baba, whose term ended in September 2023 following an extension given by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The IGP resigned in a letter today, citing family circumstances that require his full attention.
