At least seven Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) have been retired from the Nigeria Police Force.
This development follows an unsuccessful attempt by Dasuki Galandachi of the Force Investigation Department to secure a service extension similar to the one granted to Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun.
SaharaReporters learned on Monday that the retired DIGs include Galandachi, Ali Ari Muhammed, Rhoda Adetutu Olofu, Jonathan Towuru (representing the South-South geopolitical zone), Suleiman Yusuf, Banji Lawal Badru, and Bala Ciroma.
“DIG Ali Ari Muhammed, Jonathan Towuru, Rhoda Adetutu Olofu and Dasuki Galandanchi were told by the IGP to leave a meeting today (Monday).
“DIG FCID (Federal Criminal Investigation Department), Towuru honorably stepped down and did not return after a police senior officer’s retreat in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Banji Lawal Badru also and Bala Ciroma. Their replacements will be announced tomorrow by the Police Service Commission,” a top source revealed to SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters previously reported that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Egbetokun ordered senior police officers who refused to retire to appear before a disciplinary committee.
It was exclusively reported that a mutiny was brewing within the Nigeria Police Force as hundreds of senior officers resisted retirement despite being found to have falsified their birth records.
Sources revealed that some of these officers had been in service for up to 44 years, escalating tensions between IGP Egbetokun and some of them, including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Galandanchi. Galandanchi had sought a two-year service extension, citing Egbetokun’s own extension as a precedent, after the IGP was granted an exemption from retirement last year.
Two police signals obtained by SaharaReporters indicated that in February, Egbetokun ordered the replacement of some of the affected officers. Meanwhile, police authorities had fully approved the retirement of all implicated personnel.
Additionally, SaharaReporters reported that the IGP directed the posting and redeployment of officers to replace those found guilty of forgery, age falsification, and other violations of service regulations.
A previously published list included about 467 officers implicated in age falsification, among them Simon Lough, SAN, Benneth Igweh, and several others.
The recent controversy surrounding the police force stems from the forced retirement of many senior officers by the Police Service Commission (PSC). The mass retirements affected several Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs), and others.
The PSC had issued a directive mandating the retirement of officers who have served for 35 years or reached the age of 60, in line with Public Service Rules.
Source: SaharaReporters
