The Nigeria Police Force has authorized the retirement of all officers implicated in forgery, age falsification, and violating service regulations to extend their tenures beyond the mandatory retirement age.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A police wireless message, dated February 10, 2025, informed all zonal commands, departments, and other relevant units about the decision made by the Police Service Commission (PSC) during its 1st Extraordinary Meeting of the 6th Management Board. The meeting addressed the regularization of the first appointment dates for Cadet ASPs/Inspectors in the force.
The memo, referenced as CH:8400/FS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.2/294, emphasized the full implementation of the PSC’s directive regarding the regularization. The directive, which supersedes previous communications, stresses strict adherence to the guidelines for the retirement of officers found in violation of service rules.
Earlier reports from SaharaReporters on February 5, 2025, had revealed that Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had suspended the retirement of senior officers who had either exceeded 35 years of service or reached the age of 60. The suspension followed an order from President Bola Tinubu’s presidency, which instructed the IGP to halt the retirement process.
Before the suspension, the IGP had issued a directive on February 1, 2025, signed by Deputy Force Secretary CP Bode Akinbamilowo, instructing affected officers to retire immediately. This included high-profile officers such as Simon Lough, SAN, the head of the NPF Legal Section, and Benneth Igweh, a former Federal Capital Territory Police Commissioner.
A follow-up directive from the PSC, dated January 31, 2025, had approved the immediate retirement of officers who had served 35 years or had surpassed the age of 60. The directive also instructed that the affected officers be replaced immediately.
The February 5 police signal, obtained by SaharaReporters, explicitly postponed the implementation of these decisions, with instructions to stay action until further notice.
The senior officers involved, including Lough and Igweh, were found to have bypassed regulations through forgery and falsification, despite having surpassed their retirement dates based on their enlistment.
Some of the officers who should have retired, according to their enlistment dates, include Simon Asamber Lough (January 8, 2022), Benneth Chinedu Igweh (January 5, 2023), and Akinbayo Olasukami Olasoji, among others.
