President Bola Tinubu has extended the tenure of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun. This is despite Egbetokun attaining the age
President Bola Tinubu has extended the tenure of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun. This is despite Egbetokun attaining the age of 60.
Egbetokun will be 60 years old on Wednesday.
His tenure was extended by three years and he will now leave office in 2027 at 63 years.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, sent the extension letter to Egbetokun on Monday.
Egbetokun was appointed by President Tinubu in June 2023 and is expected to retire on Wednesday when he reaches the retirement age of 60. He was born on 4 September 1964.
In July, the National Assembly hurriedly passed a bill to amend the Police Act.
The amendment introduced a new clause under Section 8, which contradicts the Service Act’s provision that public servants must retire after 35 years of service or at 60 years of age. The amendment says, “Notwithstanding any other provision, every police officer shall serve in the Nigeria Police Force for 40 years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first.”
Some Nigerians said the change would affect the current IGP’s tenure. It was speculated at the time that Tinubu may keep Egbetokun to supervise the 2027 general election.
The tenure of Egbetokun’s predecessor, Usman Baba, was also mired in a similar controversy.
Baba turned 60 in March 2023 and attained the mandatory 35 years of service, but he remained in office for another three months until Tinubu replaced him with Egbetokun.
Last week, a group, Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) called on the federal government to follow due process in replacing Egbetokun.
Until his appointment, he was a deputy inspector-general of police and supervising DIG for the South-West geopolitical zone.
He served in various police commands, formations, and departments. Among his positions were chief security officer to President Tinubu when the latter was governor of Lagos State and commissioner of police in Kwara State.
