A major leadership reshuffle is imminent in the Nigeria Police Force as Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Frank Mba, and several other senior officers prepare to retire following recent changes at the top echelon of the force.

The development comes in the wake of the exit of former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the appointment of Olatunji Disu as the new head of the Nigeria Police Force. Disu was sworn in on Wednesday as the 23rd indigenous Inspector-General of Police.

Amid the transition, seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) have been shortlisted for promotion to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), a move expected to pave the way for the retirement of the serving DIGs.

Sources at the Force Headquarters disclosed that the affected DIGs had already begun making preparations to leave their offices but were awaiting the final signal from the authorities.

According to one of the sources, many of the senior officers have already moved personal belongings from their offices in anticipation of their retirement. “The DIGs are ready to leave, but they are waiting for signals. Once the AIGs slated for promotion are cleared, they will likely step down,” the source said.

Another insider revealed that the shortlisted AIGs are scheduled to appear before the Police Service Commission in Abuja on Friday for promotion examinations and screening.

The officers listed for the promotion exercise include Margreth Ochalla, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, Ishiaku Mohammed, Zachariah Fera, Zango Ibrahim, Umar Shehu Nadada and Muhammed Abdul Sulaiman.

However, the spokesman for the Police Service Commission, Torty Kalu, neither confirmed nor denied the development when contacted.

Meanwhile, Mba, one of the DIGs expected to retire, is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished officers in the force. A trained lawyer, he obtained his law degree from the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002 after completing studies at the Nigerian Law School in Abuja.

He later earned a Master’s degree in Law with distinction from the University of Dundee and attended several international professional programmes, including the FBI National Academy in the United States, as well as leadership courses at Harvard University and the University of Oxford.

During his distinguished career, Mba served as Commissioner of Police in Ogun State and later headed the Border Patrol Force at the Force Headquarters. He also held key operational roles as Area Commander in Ajah and FESTAC in Lagos.