IGP Egbetokun and Retirement Date Falsification Scandal -By Frank Okonkwo

Last night, I read a news story on Sahara Reporters alleging that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun amended his official retirement age from September, 2024 to October 31st, 2027, a development that is against the Act establishing the Nigerian Police Force.

According to the report, “A document obtained by SaharaReporters revealed that Egbetokun, identified with AP Number AP36613, updated his service profile on January 13, 2025 extending his tenure in the force.”

“A senior police source disclosed that Egbetokun, who joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1990, would ordinarily have been due for retirement based on the stipulated 35 years of service under the NPF Regulation and Civil Service Rules. The IGP manipulated the system to extend his tenure after bribing his way out of the National Assembly for the amendments bill to facilitate his elongation, raising concerns about the integrity of the Nigerian Police Force.”

According to Civil service Rules, an officer retires upon reaching either 60 years of age or 35 years of service, whichever comes first.

By September 4, 2024, Egbetokun had already turned 60 and should have exited the service but the report said, “He lobbied for an extension by initially requesting six months, which would have ended in March this year, but, before the extension elapsed, he used his position to alter his service records by extending his retirement age to October 31, 2027.

However, the aspect of the report that angered me and sparked my reaction is the paragraph that reads; “Unfortunately, Nigeria’s civil society, at large, appears uninterested in the scandal and have not given the issue the attention it deserves”

The report further alleged that “some veteran journalists at certain media houses, allegedly on the payroll of the IGP have been influenced to downplay the matter, which might explain why he still remains in the office.

With full evidence backing the report, I strongly believe that the IGP has lost every moral rights to remain in the office.

How do we think Nigeria would be respected by the international community when the Chief Law Enforcer of the nation is the Chief law breaker of the federation?

Therefore, I call on Mr. President to sack Mr. Kayode Egbetokun so as to serve as a deterrent to others and restore sanity and respect in the force.

I make bold to state that after seven days and Mr. Kayode Egbetokun is still the IGP, the leadership of the National Youth Coalition will have no other choice than to stage a nationwide protest.

Mr. Frank Okonkwo,

Acting National President of National Youth Coalition.