The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has brought five senior police officers before an Abuja High Court over alleged falsification of age records to unlawfully extend their service years.
Court filings revealed that Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has scheduled their arraignment for Thursday, September 25, 2025, on a 14-count criminal charge.
The accused include Idowu Owohunwa, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police; Benneth Igwe, retired Commissioner of Police; Ukachi Opara, retired Commissioner of Police; Obo Ukam Obo, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police; and Simon Lough, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police. Documents also mention “others at large.”
The charges alleged that Owohunwa falsified his age in December 2024 by declaring his birthdate as July 20, 1970, instead of his actual date of birth.
Igwe is accused of changing his birth year from 1964 to 1968, with inconsistencies in enlistment records showing 1988 and 1996 as entry dates.
Lough allegedly altered his birth date from May 14, 1967 to May 14, 1969 in July 2022, violating Public Service Rules.
These offences are said to contravene Sections 97, 161, 366, and 158 of the Penal Code.
The accused officers, however, deny the allegations, calling them baseless.
They claim the charges stem from a petition filed by the civil society group Integrity Youth Alliance, led by Kelvin Adegbenga, which accused them in January of manipulating official service records.
Following the petition, the IGP issued misconduct queries on January 7, 2025.
Owohunwa, in a January 16, 2025 reply, admitted a “mix-up” in his APER Form for senior officers that altered his birth year but maintained that his official appointment date of August 15, 1996 remained unchanged.
Igwe and Lough denied wrongdoing, attributing alleged discrepancies to confusion with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) scheme, which allows qualified officers to be upgraded, effectively resetting their service records.
Despite these defences, police authorities insisted the contradictions were serious enough to justify prosecution.
Source – BarristerNG.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
