Police May Dismiss, Demote AIGs Igweh, Owohunwa, Four Others

Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) Benneth Igweh, Idowu Owohunwa, and four other senior officers are at risk of demotion or outright dismissal following allegations of age falsification and bypassing service regulations.

The information was confirmed to The Whistler by sources at Force Headquarters, referencing a February 7, 2025, wireless message directing the affected officers to appear before the Police Disciplinary Committee.

The officers summoned include: AIG Benneth Igweh, AIG Idowu Owohunwa, DCP Simon Lough (SAN), CP Aina Emmanuel, CP Salama Abdul, and Adepoju Olugbenga.

The officers were instructed to attend hearings in their “clean working dress”, with strict adherence to the daily dress code.

The hearings are set to take place from Monday, February 10, to Thursday, February 13, 2025.

A source disclosed that after the committee’s review, the officers face demotion to the ranks they were supposed to have retired on. Additionally, they may be required to refund salaries received during the extended period they remained in service.

“After the disciplinary committee, officers will be demoted and dismissed. They will be demoted to the ranks they were supposed to have retired on and pay the police the salaries they had received while serving during that period,” the source stated.

The Police Service Commission (PSC) had, on January 31, 2025, approved the immediate retirement of all officers who had either spent 35 years in service or had reached the age of 60.

Following this, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, in a February 1, 2025, directive, ordered the immediate retirement of the affected officers.

However, the officers in question refused to retire, citing Egbetokun’s own tenure extension as justification for their continued stay in office.