Sowore Condemns Use of Official Police Accounts for Anonymously Penned Opinions Under “Illegal IGP” Leadership

Human rights activist and the convener of the RevolutionNow movement Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the Nigerian Police Force’s practice of using official social media accounts to promote private opinions under “fake names”.

Sowore’s criticism comes amid the issue surrounding Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun’s extended tenure, despite his reaching the mandatory retirement age in 2024.

Sowore, who refers to Egbetokun as the “illegal IGP,” criticizes what he perceives as a disregard for the rule of law and the consequences for the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force.

Two opinion pieces, “Opinion: Sowore, Egbetokun: Differentiating Between the Law, Emotions, and Cheap Populism” by Olalekan Johnson and “THE NIGERIAN INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE: THE VALIDITY OF HIS TENURE AND THE NEED FOR PATRIOTIC ACTIVISM” by Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu, have been shared through official police communication channels. Critics argue that the dissemination of such content serves to defend Egbetokun’s tenure, despite ongoing debates about its legality and broader concerns about transparency within the police force.

Reacting, Sowore wrote, “Under the leadership of Kayode Egbetokun, the Illegal General of the Nigeria police, and his team, particularly the court jester and sidekick Muyiwa Adejobi @Princemoye1 the @policeng has faced the worst leadership in recent times. It is disconcerting to see the illegal IGP writing an article under a false name and publishing it through @policeng’s social media channels. The state of affairs in the Nigeria police force and Nigeria as whole is most distressing at this time !  #EgbetokunMustGo #RevolutionNow”

On Monday, a publication by SaharaReporters had revealed that Egbetokun had amended his official retirement date to October 31, 2027 on the police senior officers’ staff list.

The document reveals that Egbetokun, identified with AP Number AP36613, updated his service profile on January 13, extending his tenure in the force.

A senior police source disclosed that Egbetokun manipulated the system to extend his tenure after bribing his way out of the National Assembly for the amendments bill to facilitate his elongation, raising concerns about the integrity of the Nigerian Police Force.

The source stated, “According to civil service rules, an officer retires upon reaching either 60 years of age or 35 years of service, whichever comes first. By September 4, 2024, Egbetokun had already turned 60 and should have exited the service.

“Instead, he lobbied for an extension, initially requesting six months, which would have ended in March this year. However, before the extension elapsed, he used his position to alter his service records, extending his tenure to 2027.”

“He was supposed to retire upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60, which he attained in September last year,” the source added.

Another source told SaharaReporters that civil service rules stipulate that an employee must retire either upon reaching 60 years of age or after completing 35 years of service, whichever comes first.

“Kayode Egbetokun reached the age of 60 but did not step down as required.

“Unfortunately, Nigeria’s civil society, at large, appears disheartened and has not given this issue the attention it deserves.

“This document, which details the hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), includes seniority rankings and years of service.

“It is an extensive document. However, as the nation’s top police officer, his name is listed first, with his year of service extended to 2027. This extension, in clear violation of existing labour laws, raises serious concerns,” the source said.

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