A lawyer, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, has accused the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, of practicing selective justice following the filing of a 14-count criminal charge against several retired senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
Dr. Jaja, who serves as the Executive Secretary of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), raised his concerns in an open letter to the IGP, criticizing the legal action taken against the retired officers.
The charges, filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court under suit number CR/353/25, involve allegations of age falsification, forgery, and tampering with official service records. Those named include former Assistant Inspector-General Idowu Owohunwa, former FCT Police Commissioner Benneth Igweh, ex-Commissioner Ukachi Peter Opara, retired Deputy Commissioner Obo Ukam Obo, and former Assistant Commissioner Simon Asamber Lough.
The officers are accused of colluding to forge official police documents in order to alter their ages and extend their service periods beyond what is permitted under Nigeria’s Public Service Rules. This followed the retirement of seven senior officers by the Police Service Commission (PSC) on March 6, 2025, after an extraordinary meeting in February, citing similar violations.
In his letter, Dr. Jaja argued that the IGP’s decision to pursue criminal charges breaches Section 32(2) of the Police Act (2020), which, he said, discourages arrests for civil infractions or contractual breaches. He asserted that court martial proceedings or civil lawsuits would have been more appropriate and less publicly damaging.
“Is this how we treat police officers who have served their country for over 30 years?” Jaja asked. “Would it not have been better to proceed via court martial, which is private, or even file a civil case instead of this public criminal prosecution?”
He particularly criticized the handling of cases involving Benneth Igweh and Simon Lough, the latter being a lawyer and the first police officer to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). According to Jaja, the decision to criminally prosecute Lough and others gives the impression that the IGP is using his position to settle personal scores.
“You are not using your powers to fight criminals but to carry out vendettas against those who oppose you,” he alleged.
Jaja further labeled the prosecution as a “cosmetic fix” that fails to address the broader issue of retirement age policies in the police force. He warned that unless the root cause—legal ambiguities around police retirement age—is resolved, similar cases will continue to emerge.
He also questioned the legality of the extension of the IGP’s tenure under the amended Section 7(6) of the Police Act and urged for a constitutional amendment to address these issues. Jaja called on Egbetokun to allow the National Assembly to carry out another amendment to the Police Act to align it with constitutional provisions and the principle of equality before the law.
Finally, Jaja suggested that the IGP should resign in the national interest, stating:
“To put Nigeria’s peace, unity, and security above personal ambition, you should consider stepping down, as your continued tenure is distracting the force from its constitutional duties.”