‘Attempt to undermine national security’: Group urges Nigerians to shun attacks on IGP

A group, the Civic Alliance for Security Accountability (CASA), has urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as a coordinated campaign of calumny against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.

The CASA President, Charles Egbunike, made the call via a statement issued on Friday, May 30, 2025.

Egbunike described the attacks as part of a broader agenda to discredit not just the IGP but also President Bola Tinubu, under whose administration Egbetokun was appointed.

Egbunike, therefore, urged Nigerians to disregard all attacks on Egbetokun’s person and leadership.

He stated: “These campaigns are not only malicious but deliberately designed to create instability.

“Those behind them are not just attacking the IGP; they are using him as a tool to hit at the President. This is because of the IGP’s long-standing association with President Tinubu, dating back to when he served as his Chief Security Officer during Tinubu’s tenure as Governor of Lagos State two decades ago.”

The CASA leader said the real masterminds behind the smear campaign are individuals who lost out following the IGP’s recent reforms aimed at sanitising the system, “especially his decision to implement the position of the law and the Police Service Commission on retirement age and service years.”

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Egbetokun added: “These individuals, who are angry over the unalloyed support Egbetokun enjoys from the President and the members of the Nigeria Police Force, are now collaborating with unscrupulous figures in the online media space who have been paid to do a hatchet job.

“These individuals prospered under a corrupt system and are now resentful because Inspector General Egbetokun has put an end to that era of impunity and unprofessional conduct. They are using faceless online platforms and questionable media outlets to spread lies and cast doubt on the IGP’s credibility. Very soon, we will start revealing the people behind this campaign, including a retired Senior Police officer who is unhappy about the way he left office.

“We will also expose those paying for online attacks meant to weaken the police and, by extension, the government. This is not just an attack on one man; it is an attempt to undermine national security. We will not let that happen.”

Also speaking, the Secretary-General of CASA, Emamode Peters, commended the IGP for the positive changes he is bringing to the Force.

On his part, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Idris Dauda Dabban, described IGP as “a truly professional, hardworking, humble, and forward-thinking officer whose leadership is shaping a more disciplined and professional Nigerian Police Force.”

Dabban, therefore, advised those attacking the IGP for “their myopic and selfish reasons” to desist from it.

The Star