FINALLY, Mr Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun exited as the twenty-second Inspector General of Police (IGP) on February 24, 2026. The needless controversies that trailed his welcome exit, reminded me of what a policeman from Obalende Police Barracks, Lagos told me when I was a boy. He said his profession was based on police sense which is based on common sense. This includes the use of intuition, psychology and experience. In other words, the policeman needs to use his sixth sense.
However, in a number of cases, Egbetokun, as IGP, did not appear to have put on his thinking cap. Let me cite an obvious one. The Police Act 2020 states in Section 18(8) that: “Every police officer shall serve for 35 years or until attaining 60 years of age – whichever comes first.” Egbetokun, who was appointed IGP on June 19, 2023, was born on September 4, 1964, so he should statutorily have retired in 2024 when he attained the age of sixty.
Egbetokun’s exit of course meant the appointment of a new IGP. Unfortunately, this has followed the tradition of picking an officer lower down the line, which usually leads to the retirement of all his real and perceived seniors. Mr. Tunji Disu, an Assistant Inspector General was appointed to act as IGP on February 24, 2026. Twenty-nine police officers are named as his seniors, so this tribe of trained police officers are all to go home at a time the government said the country is desperately in need of experienced police officers to curb rising banditry and terrorism.
Secondly, having enlisted in the police in 1990, he should have left not later than 2025 having clocked 35 years in service. However, the Police Act was amended before his retirement, reading that anybody appointed the IGP for the term of four years under Section 7(6) should complete his tenure. In other words, Egbetokun had his tenure statutorily extended. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, issued an advisory on this which his office said: “is necessary for the guidance of the general public.”
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Although I believe there were political undertones, the fact was that Egbetokun did not extend his tenure himself; it was done by the Presidency in the name of the Federal Government. In any case, the issue was subject to dual interpretation. However, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, disagreed stating that with his attainment of the retirement age of 60, Egbetokun had become an “Illegal IGP”.
Sowore, like any other citizen, was entitled to his opinion. That did not change anything on ground nor stop Egbetokun from carrying out his duties as IG. I am not sure Nigerians were bordered about such an issue. So, common police sense should have dictated that Egbetokun ignored Sowore and go on with his duties which had become far more demanding with rising banditry and terrorism. Rather, Egbetokun took this to heart, saw this as a personal war and engaged Sowore in bruising battles. It became so childish that right at the Police Force Headquarters, police agents stole Mr Sowore’s glasses which Egbetokun’s office had to return after irrefutable video showed the theft including the positive identification of the thief. The latter is yet to be brought to book.
The police under Egbetokun began to hallucinate over Sowore. In a bizarre twist, in November, 2025, while Sowore was in Abuja, perfecting his bail for protesting the continued incarceration of separatist, Nnamdi Kanu, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Moshood Olohundare Jimoh, who worked under Egbetokun, declared Sowore wanted. Jimoh told the press: “He (Sowore) is coming to Lagos to instigate crisis, to instigate violence… I hereby as the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command declare Sowore wanted. I declare him wanted for the acts of causing disturbance of public peace and (an) act to commit serious felony…”
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Sowore went to the Federal High Court in Lagos holding that the police neither invited him nor obtained a warrant before publicly declaring him wanted. The court agreed and fined the police N30 million. Unfortunately for the public, the fine will have to be paid by it with neither Egbetokun nor Jimoh making any financial contribution. Tragically, Moshood Jimoh remains in office. He may even be promoted and, has the chances of becoming the IGP thereby ensuring that the rot in the system continues.
On January 13, 2025, Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae ruled in his favour. She declared that the traditions the PSC relied on to retire Jitoboh are: “at best mere statements of policy intent; they have no force of law, and they are in conflict with the provisions of the Public Service Rule.” Unfortunately, two weeks before judgement was delivered, Jitoboh passed away on December 28, 2024.
Earlier, on January 19, 2026, the Sahara Reporters, had published allegations that N100 million in four tranches of N25 million each, was paid into the bank account of Egbetokun’s son, Victor Adewale Egbetokun, on September 12, 2025. The money was said to have originated from the Anambra State Government security vote. It claimed there was some disquiet about the transfers since the said Victor was neither a serving police officer nor a civil servant. It claimed this led to the reversal of the money seventeen days later, but that on October 2, 2025 the money was deposited again, but this time in cash. However, last week, as Egbetokun prepared to handover, Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, cleared the junior Egbetokun of any wrong doing. He claimed it was a mistake with money wrongly paid into Victor’s account and that the latter had reversed the payment.
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Egbetokun is also known to have weaponised the cyberstalking law and, according to the International Press Institute Nigeria, failed to curb “systematic media repression” For this, his name was added to the ‘Book of Infamy’ which is a blacklist of public officers and institutions engaged in suppressing freedom in the country.
Egbetokun’s exit of course meant the appointment of a new IGP. Unfortunately, this has followed the tradition of picking an officer lower down the line, which usually leads to the retirement of all his real and perceived seniors. Mr. Tunji Disu, an Assistant Inspector General was appointed to act as IGP on February 24, 2026. Twenty-nine police officers are named as his seniors, so this tribe of trained police officers are all to go home at a time the government said the country is desperately in need of experienced police officers to curb rising banditry and terrorism.
However, there was a judicial challenge to this tradition in 2024 when one of the Deputy Inspectors General (DIG) Moses Ambakina Jitoboh retired to give way for Egbetokun, went to the National Industrial Court (NIC) challenging his compulsory retirement six years before he was due. Jitoboh was one of the most knowledgeable, brightest and confident officers of the police with no blemish. He submitted that the Police Service Commission (PSC) argument that it was the police tradition to retire senior officers when a junior is promoted over them, is not backed by any law.
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On January 13, 2025, Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae ruled in his favour. She declared that the traditions the PSC relied on to retire Jitoboh are: “at best mere statements of policy intent; they have no force of law, and they are in conflict with the provisions of the Public Service Rule.” Unfortunately, two weeks before judgement was delivered, Jitoboh passed away on December 28, 2024.
Despite the applicant’s demise, the judgement remains valid. Common sense dictates that the Tinubu administration should abide by the judgement and save the country another season of needless purge at the highest levels of the Nigeria Police.
