Saturday PUNCH Goofed On Egbetokun’s Exit -By Kehinde Adewole

It is both astonishing and disappointing that a newspaper of record like the Saturday PUNCH would descend into conjecture and yellow journalism in its recent attempt to mischaracterize the exit of former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Let us begin with a fundamental distinction that every responsible journalist ought to understand: resignation and sacking are not synonymous. Resignation stems from personal choice or administrative procedure; sacking stems from poor performance, misconduct, or loss of confidence. To blur this line is not a mere semantic error, it is a deliberate distortion.

Contrary to the narrative spun by Saturday PUNCH, President Bola Tinubu never sacked Egbetokun. There was no removal, no dismissal, and certainly no disgrace. What transpired was not punitive but procedural.

The VIP Withdrawal Directive: Facts Over Fiction

Another glaring example of yellow journalism is the claim that Egbetokun was removed over alleged resistance to the President’s directive to withdraw police officers from VIP protection duties.

This is categorically false.

Former IGP Egbetokun did not resist the directive. He complied fully and transparently. In fact, he confirmed that no fewer than 11,566 police personnel were recalled in line with the presidential directive. He further disclosed that the redeployment of these officers to underserved communities had already commenced, reinforcing the strategic intent behind the decision.

He described the directive as a deliberate realignment of national policing priorities—one aimed at strengthening grassroots security rather than privileging elite protection. That is not defiance; that is disciplined leadership.

Once again, Saturday PUNCH got it wrong.

It is also important to highlight that operational structures within the Force were aligned to ensure seamless implementation. The Special Protection Unit (SPU), which oversees officers attached to VIPs, functioned under competent supervision, including figures such as the current acting IGP, Olatunji Disu. This institutional coherence further underscores that the directive was executed systematically, not resisted.

The State Police Fabrication

Saturday PUNCH and its ever-convenient “multiple sources” went further to claim that Egbetokun opposed the creation of state police and that this constituted a grievance against him.

Let us be clear from the outset: there exists no forum, formal or informal, where former IGP Egbetokun opposed state policing in the manner being insinuated. The narrative is not only inaccurate; it appears deliberately crafted to soil the reputation of a man whose service record remains commendable.

The attempt to attribute certain controversial views on state police to him becomes even more egregious in light of an explicit clarification by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ben Okolo, who categorically stated:

“My expression on state police at the session held at Abuja Continental Hotel on 22nd April 2024 is my personal opinion to stimulate the discourse. They are not the views of the Inspector-General of Police or the Nigeria Police Force.”

What more clarification does responsible journalism require?

Yet, Saturday PUNCH chose to ignore this clear disclaimer, opting instead to push a false equivalence. This is not a minor oversight; it is a journalistic goof of significant proportion. Their so-called “sources” are, at best, unreliable and, at worst, deliberately deceptive.

The “Vindictive Conduct” Narrative: The Highest Fabrication

Perhaps the most malicious fabrication is the insinuation that Egbetokun exhibited vindictive conduct toward colleagues, particularly in his treatment of Olatunji Disu.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

At no time did Egbetokun use his position against Disu. On the contrary, his record shows consistent professional support. He appointed Disu as PSO1, later facilitated his elevation to Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, subsequently to Commissioner of Police in the FCT, and later to AIG in charge of SPU. Following the restructuring of VIP guard arrangements, Disu was posted to FCID Alagbon as AIG, hardly the trajectory of a man being sidelined.

That Disu would later emerge as Acting IGP only reinforces the continuity and professionalism within the Force. There was no vendetta, no rivalry, no vindictive conduct, only institutional progression.

A Call for Ethical Journalism

Media organizations occupy a sacred space in democratic society. With that space comes responsibility, the responsibility to verify facts, to avoid sensationalism, and to resist the temptation to fabricate “sources” in order to sustain a dramatic narrative.

The resignation of Kayode Egbetokun was not a sacking. It was not the result of defiance. It was not rooted in policy rebellion or interpersonal vendetta. To portray it as such is to abandon journalism for fiction.

If the Nigerian media must retain public trust, outlets like Saturday PUNCH must recommit themselves to ethical standards and rigorous, fact-based reporting. The public deserves clarity, not conjecture; truth, not theatrics.

Anything less is not journalism, it is storytelling masquerading as news.

Adewole Kehinde is a public affairs analyst based in Abuja. email: kennyadewole@gmail.com X: @kennyadewole