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Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), alleged on Tuesday that Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has been removed from his post.
Sowore took to social media to claim that Egbetokun has already been replaced by a high-ranking senior officer currently stationed at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) in Lagos. Despite the gravity of the assertion, the activist did not provide an official document or confirmation to substantiate the claim.
The atmosphere remains one of uncertainty, as neither the Presidency nor the Nigeria Police Force has issued a statement to confirm or deny a change in leadership at the Force Headquarters.
Attempts to reach Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, for clarity were met with silence. While Hundeyin did not answer direct calls, he later requested a text message inquiry with a promise to respond; however, no reply was received by the time of publication.
This latest claim is part of a long-standing campaign by Sowore to challenge Egbetokun’s position. The AAC leader has frequently argued that the police chief should have vacated the office after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60.
The timeline of Egbetokun’s leadership began in October 2023, when President Bola Tinubu appointed him as the acting Inspector-General of Police, a role that became official on October 31 of that year following legislative confirmation.
The question of how long an IGP can serve became a flashpoint for legal debate shortly after his appointment. In response to the controversy over retirement ages, the Federal Government initiated an amendment to the Police Act.
This pivotal legislative change introduced a single, fixed four-year term for any sitting Inspector-General of Police. Crucially, the law specifies that this term applies regardless of the officer’s age or total years of service in the force.
Under this current legal framework, Egbetokun is technically permitted to remain at the helm of the Nigeria Police Force until October 2027, making Sowore’s claims of an early exit particularly striking.
As the public awaits an official word from the State House, the tension between the activist’s claims and the existing law continues to fuel intense discussion across the country.