Police drag ex-AIG, 2 CPs, 2 others to court over age falsification

Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has taken legal action against five retired senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), accusing them of falsifying their ages to unlawfully extend their service years.

The case has been filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court and assigned to Justice Yusuf Halilu, who has scheduled September 25 for the arraignment of the defendants.

The 14-count charge names Idowu Owohunwa, a retired assistant inspector-general of police; Benneth Igwe and Ukachi Opara, both retired commissioners of police; Obo Ukam Obo, a retired deputy commissioner of police; and Simon Lough, a retired assistant commissioner of police.

The charge also makes reference to “others at large.”

According to investigators, Owohunwa allegedly falsified a declaration of age in Abuja in December 2024, claiming he was born on July 20, 1970, instead of his actual date of birth.

Igwe is accused of altering his records to reflect October 7, 1968, as his birth date, though findings indicated he was born four years earlier. His enlistment documents also reportedly carried contradictions, listing both 1988 and 1996 as his entry years.

Lough allegedly falsified his age in July 2022 to prolong his service. While his records initially showed May 14, 1967, he is said to have altered them to May 14, 1969.

According to police authorities, these acts contravene public service rules and are punishable under Sections 97, 161, 366, and 158 of the Penal Code.

The accused officers, however, have denied wrongdoing, dismissing the allegations as malicious and politically motivated. They argue that the case stems from a petition filed by the Integrity Youth Alliance, a civil society group led by Kelvin Adegbenga, which accused them of manipulating their service records.

Following the petition, the IGP issued queries for serious misconduct on January 7, 2025.

In his response dated January 16, Owohunwa admitted that a clerical error in his APER form for senior police officers had mistakenly recorded 1970 as his birth year instead of 1967. He maintained that his official appointment date remained August 15, 1996.

Igwe and Lough also defended their records, insisting that the petitioners had confused their career documents with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) scheme, which allows certain officers to be upgraded and effectively resets their service records.