Alleged Age Falsification: IGP Sues Five Retired Senior Officers 

By Christy Emeka

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has instituted criminal proceedings against five retired senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force for allegedly falsifying their age records.

They are to be arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, on Thursday, September 25, 2025, with Justice Yusuf Halilu presiding over the case

The officers are: Idowu Owohunwa, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police; Benneth Igwe and Ukachi Opara, retired Commissioners of Police; Obo Ukam Obo, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police; and Simon Lough, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police.

The Court filings also referenced “others at large” linked to the alleged scheme.

According to the prosecution, Owohunwa allegedly altered his age declaration in December 2024, claiming to have been born in 1970 instead of 1967.

Igwe was accused of changing his year of birth from 1964 to 1968, while discrepancies were also found in his enlistment records. Lough was similarly charged with amending his birth records in 2022, shifting his date of birth from 1967 to 1969.

The offences contravene Sections 97, 161, 366 and 158 of the Penal Code, prosecutors said.

The matter arose from a January 2025 petition filed by the Integrity Youth Alliance, a civil society organisation led by Kelvin Adegbenga, which accused the officers of manipulating service records to prolong their stay in uniform. Following the petition, the Police High Command issued queries for serious misconduct.

In his response, Owohunwa admitted to a “mix-up” in his Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) form but insisted that his official appointment date had not changed.

Igwe and Lough also denied any wrongdoing, attributing the discrepancies to confusion over the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) scheme.

Despite their defence, police authorities maintained that the inconsistencies were grave enough to warrant prosecution, stressing the need to safeguard integrity and uphold public service rules.