The Nigerian Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has ordered the immediate retirement of senior police officers who are either over 60 years old or have served for more than 35 years.
These include Simon Lough, SAN, the Head of the NPF Legal Section and Benneth Igweh, a former Federal Capital Territory Police Commissioner.
These police officers have been implicated in forgery, falsification, and bypassing service regulations.
The directive is disclosed in a letter dated February 1, 2025, signed by CP Bode Akinbamilowo, Deputy Force Secretary, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, and addressed to the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Commandants of Police Staff Colleges at Jos and Kano, Commissioners of Police and Commandants of Police Colleges across the country.
The letter is titled ‘Re: Police Service Commission Decision At Its 1stt Extra Ordinary Meeting Of The 6thh Management Board On The Regularisation Of Date Of First Appointment Of Cadet ASPs/Inspectors Force Entrants.’
It reads, “Attached letter No. CH: 8400.IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.17/90 dates 31st January, 2025 with its attachments received from the Inspector General of Police, Force Headquarters Abuja in respect of the above underlined subject refers.
“I am to convey the directive of the Inspector General of Police that you ensure comprehensive implementation of the decision with emphasis on paragraphs 3 and 4 of the attachment letter under reference.”
The decision of the PSC refereed to in the letter was earlier communicated to the IGP in a letter dated January 31, 2025 and signed by Nnamani Onyemuche, Secretary to the PSC.
Paragraphs 3 and 4 to be given emphasis read: “Accordingly, the Commission at its 1st extraordinary meeting of the 6th Management Board held on Friday 31st January 2025 has approved the immediate retirement of those officers who have spent 35 years in service and those above 60 years of age.
“Any omission discovered subsequently on this issue also falls within this approval.”
Paragraph 5 reads: Please implement, inform the affected officers and make replacement for the vacancies thereafter immediately and forward to the commission for its consideration and approval.”
On the list of those who should have retired but still in service going by their dates of enlistment are: Simon Asamber Lough who should have retired on January 8, 2022 going by his date of enlistment.
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Others listed include Benneth Chinedu Igweh (January 5, 2023), Akinbayo Olasukami Olasoji, Louis Chike Nwabuwa, Mukar Sule, Adamu Danjuma, Ajao Olusegun, and Iriemi Solomon.
SaharaReporters reported on Friday, January 31, 2025 that the PSC had approved the immediate retirement of senior police officers who were over 60 years old or had served for 35 years.
The PSC approved the retirement of the senior officers at its first extraordinary meeting.
Ikechukwu Ani, PSC Head of Press and Public Relations, in a statement on Friday, said the “PSC rose from its first extraordinary meeting with the approval for the immediate retirement of senior police officers who have spent more than 35 years in service and those above 60 years of age”.
The Commission Chairman, DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd), presided over the extraordinary meeting, which also had in attendance Justice Adamu Paul Galumje, retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Hon. Commissioner representing the Judiciary; DIG Taiwo Lakanu (rtd), Hon. Commissioner representing the Police and Chief Onyemuchi Nnamani, Secretary to the Commission.
Ani said the Commission’s decision had been conveyed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for implementation.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that over 300 police officers had been implicated in an age falsification scandal within the Nigeria Police Force.
SaharaReporters recently reported that a high-profile investigation, involving several senior officers, was underway, implicating Simon Lough, SAN, the Head of the NPF Legal Section.
Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun had ordered an immediate and comprehensive probe into allegations of falsified and backdated records.
It was reported that the Head of INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), AIG Idowu Owohunwa, AIG Abdul Yari, and some other senior police officers were also found to have been affected.
This was contained in a memo sent to the head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, dated January 13, 2025 and signed by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Force Secretary, AIG Olofu Rhoda.
According to the memo exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, DCP Simon Asamber Lough (SAN); AIG Abdul Yari; AIG Idowu Owohunwa; AIG Ben Igwe; CP Peter Ukachi Opara; CP Obo Obo Ukani; and ACP Akpan Brown, were affected.
Sources informed SaharaReporters that Simon Lough, Head of Chambers in the Legal Section of the Nigeria Police Force, along with AIG Ben Igweh, Owohunwa, and others implicated in the age falsification scandal, would be quietly retired by police authorities.
“There are over 300 senior police officers caught in age falsification scandal. The police will quietly retire Simon Lough, Ben Igwe, Idowu Owohunwa and others caught in age falsification scandal,” a top police source had said.
According to sources, Igweh and Lough have spent 45 years in the Force.
“Igwe is over 70 years old and he is still in the Force. Idowu Owohunwa ought to have retired officially this year but he altered his records to push it to 2029,” one of the sources told SaharaReporters during the week.
However, as for AIG Lafia Abdulyari, he will be demoted to Superintendent of Police (SP), SaharaReporters learned.
Meanwhile, they are all required to repay the funds they received for the additional years they served in the Force beyond their official retirement age.
Following the extraordinary meeting of the PSC, Ani also noted in the statement that the Commission at “its 24th Plenary Meeting of 27th and 28th September 2017 had approved that the Force Entrants should have their date of appointment in the Force against the date of their enlistment”.
“The Commission has passionately revisited their decision and has come to the conclusion that the said decision in its intent and purpose contradicted the principle of merger of service in the public service and it is in violation of Public Service Rule No 020908 (i & ii) which provides for retirement on attainment of 35 years in service or 60 years of age.
“Accordingly, the Commission at its 1st extraordinary meeting of the 6th Management Board held today, Friday, 31st January 2025, approved the immediate retirement of those officers who have spent more than 35 years in service and those above 60 years of age,” it added.
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