IGP’s Disciplinary Review Leads To Over 340 Retirements In Nigerian Police Force

This move comes ahead of the final report submission of the committee set up by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun.

The committee, which met between Monday and Tuesday at the Force’s headquarters in Louis Edet House, Abuja, was supported by the Force Management in the screening process.

Although it remains uncertain whether the officers’ retirement decisions were influenced by potential sanctions, sources close to the committee have confirmed their exit.

Many of these officers, who had either surpassed the age of 60 or completed over 35 years of service, had failed to retire as planned.

Among those called for review was Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Benneth Igweh, who previously led Zone 7, as well as two Commissioners of Police and a senior police lawyer.

It was confirmed that AIG Igweh had officially handed over his duties to his successor, Mohammed Gumel.

The committee focused on officers who were due to retire as far back as 2020 but had not done so, due to factors such as moving from rank-and-file to senior officer positions without the required training at the police academy.

A source familiar with the process revealed that by Tuesday, over 340 officers had submitted their retirement papers.

“Many of them are senior officers. Those who knew they were overdue for retirement have also gone. I’m not certain if any were penalized,” the source said.

“The committee and force management were responsible for screening the officers. These are individuals who should have retired between 2020 and now. They didn’t adjust their ages, but many transitioned from rank-and-file to senior officers without attending the academy.

“The rule is that if you wish to advance to senior officer status, you must resign from your rank-and-file position. However, many of them bypassed this process, operating in both capacities.”