A significant number of senior police figures, at least seven Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), have been compelled to retire from the Nigerian Police Force following a failed attempt by Dasuki Galandachi of the Force Investigation Department to secure an extension of service.
This move follows a bid by Galandachi to emulate the extension granted to the current Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, which proved unsuccessful.
Information obtained on Monday by SaharaReporters revealed that those retired include Galandachi, alongside Ali Ari Muhammed, Rhoda Adetutu Olofu, Jonathan Towuru (representing the South-South region), Suleiman Yusuf, Banji Lawal Badru, and Bala Ciroma.
“DIGs Ali Ari Muhammed, Jonathan Towuru, Rhoda Adetutu Olofu and Dasuki Galandachi were instructed by the IGP to vacate a meeting earlier today (Monday). DIG FCID (Federal Criminal Investigation Department), Towuru, opted to step down and did not rejoin proceedings after a senior officer’s retreat in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Banji Lawal Badru, and Bala Ciroma were also included in this retirement. Their replacements are expected to be announced on the subsequent day by the Police Service Commission,” a well-placed source informed the Nigerian outlet.
It was reported that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Egbetokun had mandated that senior officers refusing to retire present themselves before a disciplinary panel.
A state of discontent was brewing within the Nigerian Police Force, with numerous senior officers resisting retirement despite evidence of falsified birth records.
Sources suggested that some of these officers had served for as long as 44 years, leading to increased tension between IGP Egbetokun and certain individuals, including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Galandachi. Galandachi had sought a two-year extension of service, citing the IGP’s own extension as a precedent, after Egbetokun was granted an exemption from retirement during the previous year.
Two police communications indicated that in February, Egbetokun had directed the replacement of certain implicated officers. Simultaneously, police authorities had given full approval for the retirement of all personnel involved.
Furthermore, it was reported that the IGP had issued directives for the posting and redeployment of officers to fill the positions of those found guilty of forgery, age misrepresentation, and other breaches of service regulations.
A previously published list contained approximately 467 officers implicated in age falsification, including Simon Lough, SAN, Benneth Igweh, and several others.
The recent controversy within the police force originates from the enforced retirement of numerous senior officers by the Police Service Commission (PSC). These mass retirements affected several Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs), and other ranks.
The PSC had issued a directive enforcing the retirement of officers who had completed 35 years of service or reached the age of 60, in accordance with Public Service Rules.
