The Presidency has confirmed the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun as the Inspector-General of Police.
It said the former police boss resigned from office, citing family issues that require his undivided attention.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a response to an inquiry by PUNCH Online, saying, “The IGP resigned in a letter today, citing family issues which require his undivided attention.”
However, multiple Presidency sources told Punch correspondent that Egbetokun was asked to step down during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, 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.
The IGP’s official vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser with number plate NPF-01, parking at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa around 6:40 pm on Monday.
Egbetokun, dressed in his black uniform without his cap, alighted from the vehicle and turned back to ask for his notepad from an aide who briskly reached into the vehicle and handed it to him.
The IGP arrived at approximately the same time governors were arriving for an interfaith breaking of fast with the President, raising initial uncertainty about the purpose of his visit.
However, another source at the Villa confirmed that Egbetokun was specifically summoned that evening by the President.
“He was called in. It wasn’t a routine visit,” the source stated.
Security officials who confided in our correspondent said the IGP returned to the State House at about 8:00 pm as his vehicle was subjected to search by DSS operatives at the Villa.
Egbetokun, who was appointed IGP on June 19, 2023, has faced mounting criticism over the nation’s deteriorating security situation, particularly the wave of kidnappings, banditry, and terrorist attacks across multiple states.
Recent high-profile incidents include the abduction of nearly 300 schoolchildren from St. Mary’s boarding school in Niger State in November 2025, mass killings in Kwara State communities in February 2026, and persistent kidnappings along major highways.
The President, during Monday’s Iftar with governors, had pledged that the establishment of state police to combat insecurity would not be postponed, declaring 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.
Before his appointment as IGP, Egbetokun served as Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department.
He succeeded Usman Alkali Baba, whose tenure expired in September 2023 after an extension granted by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The IGP resigned in a letter today, citing family issues which require his undivided attention.
Punch
