Egbetokun Drags Retired Senior Officers. Owohunwa, Igwe, Opara to Court for Alleged Age Falsification, Forgery
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has filed a 14-count criminal charge against several retired senior police officers, including former Assistant Inspector-General, Idowu Owohunwa, former Commissioners of Police, Benneth Igweh and Ukachi Peter Opara, over alleged age falsification and forgery.
The charge, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, also lists retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Obo Ukam Obo and retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Simon Lough, SAN, as defendants.
Other suspects alleged to be involved remain at large.
According to the court filings, the accused, all former members of the Nigeria Police Force who enlisted around 1999, are alleged to have forged official police signals and used them to manipulate their records. The documents allegedly used in the scheme include Signal No. DTO 221535/05/89, purportedly issued from NIGPOL Admin Lagos to the Commandant of the Police Academy in Kaduna.
The Inspector-General accused the defendants of conspiracy, forgery, and unlawful alteration of official records, among other offenses.
The charges read in part: “That you AIG Idowu Owohunwa (Rtd) (2) CP Benneth Igweh (Rtd) (3) CP Ukachi Peter Opara (Rtd) (4) DCP Obo Ukam Obo (Rtd) (5) ACP Simon A. Lough SAN (Rtd) and others who are now at large being members of force entrants of the Nigeria Police Force on or about 1999 till date in FCT Abuja which is within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed the offence of conspiracy with intent to commit criminal offence punishable under Section 97 (1) (2) of the Penal Code Law.”
The defendants are also accused of falsifying their ages and documents in order to remain in service beyond the mandatory retirement age.
The charge sheet alleges that they used fake and falsified documents to obtain judgments against the Nigeria Police Force at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
The case is seen as a major crackdown on corruption and age falsification in the Nigeria Police Force.
The Inspector-General of Police has vowed to root out corruption and ensure that all officers adhere to the rules and regulations of the force.
The defendants are expected to appear in court to answer to the charges. If found guilty, they could face severe penalties, including imprisonment and fines.
The case is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to reform the Nigeria Police Force and ensure that it operates with integrity and transparency.
