Former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has said sustained media attacks against his leadership were driven by vested interests opposed to reforms he introduced to sanitise the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking on his time in office, the former police chief explained that one of the major challenges he faced after assuming leadership was the widespread falsification of service records within the force.
According to him, some officers allegedly paid money to manipulate their official records in order to extend their years of service beyond the statutory retirement limit.
Egbetokun said his administration stopped the practice and launched investigations that exposed those involved in the scheme.
“I didn’t just stop the practice. We fished out the culprits and forwarded their names to the Police Service Commission for proper disciplinary action, and they were all removed from the system,” he said.
He also revealed that another contentious issue involved a group of cadet force entrants who sought to remain in service beyond their statutory period, citing a judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
However, the former IGP said investigations later showed that the court ruling was based on a signal purportedly issued by the Office of the Force Secretary and relayed through the Sokoto State Police Command.
According to him, the signal was eventually discovered to be fabricated.
“Our investigation confirmed that no such signal emanated from the Office of the Force Secretary. Even the version said to have been relayed by the Sokoto Command and tendered in court by the group was also found to be fabricated,” he said.
Egbetokun stated that the findings were forwarded to the Police Service Commission, which subsequently took disciplinary measures against the officers implicated in the matter.
He said his firm stance on internal discipline distinguished his administration from previous leaderships of the force.
“We cannot effectively enforce the law if we fail to enforce discipline within our own ranks,” he said.
The former police chief alleged that some wealthy individuals affected by the disciplinary actions later sponsored media campaigns to discredit his leadership.
According to him, several fabricated allegations and misleading reports were circulated in an attempt to undermine his reforms.
Egbetokun further claimed that another group opposed to amendments to the Nigeria Police Act—which enabled him to remain in office for a four-year tenure—also joined the campaign against him.
He said some senior officers who hoped to become Inspector-General of Police believed damaging his reputation could create an opportunity for them to succeed him.
The former IGP also accused elements linked to the Take It Back Movement of promoting negative narratives against him and the police.
According to him, the movement—associated with organisers of the End Bad Governance protest—allegedly planned mass demonstrations capable of destabilising the country.
“They boasted that the #EndSARS protest would be child’s play and even referenced the 2024 mass protests in Kenya,” he said.
Egbetokun maintained that the police acted lawfully to prevent violence and protect national stability during the protests.
“We did everything lawful to stop them on the two major occasions and subsequent attempts. Considering the country’s socioeconomic fragility at the time, we believed it was in the overall interest of Nigerians,” he said.
Despite the controversies and criticism, the former IGP said he remained focused on implementing policing reforms during his tenure.
“In spite of the media wars, I remained focused. I am proud of what we achieved to advance policing in Nigeria in the interest of the silent majority of Nigerians,” he added.
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