Egbetokun Dismisses AIG Fayoade from Zone 2 Lagos to Thwart Replacing Him as IG
Besieged Nigerian Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has mandated the removal of Adegoke Fayoade, the Assistant Inspector-General overseeing Zone 2 Command, Lagos, amid apprehensions of his potential elevation to the role of Nigeria’s next police chief.
Sources revealed on Wednesday that, although the Nigeria Police Force officially attributed Fayoade’s dismissal to “corruption allegations,” the underlying motive stems from Egbetokun’s covert strategy to prevent Fayoade’s advancement as his successor.
According to reliable insiders, Fayoade, a venerable senior officer, had become embroiled in a political conflict within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following reports that Bisi Akande, a founding leader of the APC and former governor of Osun State, had been advocating for Fayoade’s appointment to the Bola Tinubu administration.
The AIG, formerly Akande’s aide-de-camp during his governorship, was informed of the situation.
“The reality is that Fayoade’s removal was never about corruption. That was merely a convenient pretext. The IGP and his affiliates perceive him as a threat due to Akande and other APC influencers quietly championing his rise as the next Inspector-General. This created animosity between him and the IGP,” a senior source disclosed.
Fayoade’s reassignment from Zone 2, a pivotal police command encompassing Lagos and Ogun states, is perceived as a calculated maneuver to diminish Fayoade’s sway and thwart any succession plans favoring him.
AIG Adegoke Mustapha Fayoade was born on October 28, 1966, in Ila-Orangun, Osun State.
Fayoade joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, as a Cadet ASP and has ascended through various ranks with assignments across Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Ogun, and Lagos states.
He has also served as DPO in numerous divisions in Lagos, Area Commander in Otta, Commandant of the Police Training College Oyin-Akoko, and DCP at the SCID Panti.
He subsequently became Commissioner of Police overseeing Lagos Command, then CP (Armament) at Force Headquarters Abuja before his promotion to Assistant Inspector-General of Police in Zone 2 (Lagos and Ogun).
Reports indicate that Egbetokun presides over a deeply fragmented police force plagued by internal grievances concerning contentious and nepotistic promotions amid a police pension crisis.
The current IGP has reached his mandatory retirement age but has refused to vacate his position, exacerbating the turmoil surrounding his notorious tenure.
Numerous groups and opinion leaders have criticized Egbetokun’s continued occupancy of office.
Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow Movement convener, Omoyele Sowore, has been vocal in demanding the immediate resignation of IGP Egbetokun.
Sowore has persistently castigated Egbetokun for his illegal tenure, condemning the IGP for “refusing to retire while all his contemporaries departed office on March 3, 2025.”
In a statement posted on social media, Sowore labeled Egbetokun as the “Illegal General of the Nigeria Police Force,” lambasting his refusal to retire despite his peers having exited the force on March 3, 2025.
Sowore argued for the necessity of a fair succession process within police leadership, ensuring other officers have the opportunity to ascend to the top ranks.
“This ILLEGAL IG of @PoliceNG (a.k.a Illegal General of the Nigeria Police Force) has refused to retire while all his mates left on March 3rd, 2025,” Sowore stated in one of his posts.
In July, it was reported that the Police Service Commission (PSC) sanctioned the special promotion of 37 senior police officers handpicked by Egbetokun, but internal dissent within the force delayed the public disclosure of the list.
The promotions, widely deemed controversial, ignited ethnic and institutional tensions within the Nigeria Police Force.
Earlier reports by SaharaReporters indicated that out of the 37 officers promoted under “special consideration,” 30 were allegedly of Yoruba descent intensifying concerns that IGP Egbetokun is steering a regionally biased or “provincial” police leadership.
This development has triggered dissatisfaction across various police commands, particularly among officers who feel they were passed over for promotion despite their qualifications, allegedly due to ethnic considerations.
Several of the promoted officers are said to be close associates of the IGP, either currently working with him on the 7th floor of the Force Headquarters in Abuja or long-standing allies from his previous postings.
Additionally, protests by retired police officers have erupted, demanding improved welfare and pension payments.
The retired personnel marched to the Force Headquarters in Abuja to voice grievances about the poor conditions of service and neglect of police families.
Sowore, who participated in the demonstration, described it as “historic” and a step toward advocating for a more equitable policing system in Nigeria.
