How IGP Allegedly Amends Retirement Date To Stay In Office
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Protesters under the #EndBadGovernance on Wednesday demanded the resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The protesters who converged at the Federal High Court in Abuja to protest the arrest and cybercrime charges against former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, accused the IGP of illegality.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that Sowore was charged to court by the police for calling Egbetokun an illegal IGP.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the protesters Rex Elanu, said the development had shown that Egbetokun is an illegal and illegitimate IGP.
Elenu noted that the current system in Nigeria shows no hope for the future, calling on Nigerians to stand for what they want.
He said, “This is a system where impunity has been enshrined as an institution on its own. Where an Inspector General of Police charged minors with treason because they were asking for good governance and killed peaceful protesters, and such IG today believes he has been insulted because Sowore called him an illegal IG.
“But I think Nigerians can all see he is advertising publicly his illegality and illegitimacy, but the important thing is not even the IGP but the system. We cannot continue in such a system and hope that Nigeria will be better. If impunity reigns, there will be no progress and that is why it is very important for all Nigerians to realise that at this point, there is no sitting on the fence.”
Meanwhile, a report by SaharaReporters stated that Egbetokun was initially due for retirement in September 2024 but allegedly amended his official retirement date to October 31, 2027.
The medium said a document it obtained reveals that Egbetokun, identified with AP Number AP36613, updated his service profile on January 13, extending his tenure in the force.
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A senior police source told SaharaReporters that Egbetokun, who joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1990, would ordinarily have been due for retirement based on the stipulated 35 years of service under civil service rules.
The source alleged 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.
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Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.