A Federal Capital Territory High Court has directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to produce five retired senior officers accused of falsifying their age records to unlawfully extend their service years in the Nigeria Police Force.
The affected officers are AIG Idowu Owohunwa (rtd), CP Benneth Igweh (rtd), CP Ukachi Peter Opara (rtd), DCP Obo Ukam Obo (rtd), and ACP Simon A. Lough, SAN (rtd).
They were listed as defendants in a 14-count charge brought against them by the IGP.
Presiding judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, expressed displeasure over the police’s failure to secure the appearance of the accused persons, stressing that the case, already attracting public scrutiny over its implications for integrity and accountability within the Force, could not proceed as scheduled on Thursday in Abuja.
The prosecution counsel, ACP Riman Ezekiel, stunned the court when he admitted that the defendants could not be located despite repeated visits to their residences.
According to him, neighbours claimed the retired officers had moved out of their apartments, making it extremely difficult to serve them with the charges.
He said the appearance by the defence counsel in the court was an indication that the defendants had properly briefed them.
This explanation triggered murmurs in the courtroom, with observers describing it as a deliberate attempt to shield the accused from facing justice.
The defence counsel, T.J. Aondo, on Thursday dismissed claims by the prosecution that he had been fully briefed by the accused retired police officers, insisting that his clients had not been served with the charges.
He also accused the prosecution of being economical with the truth.
Aondo criticised the prosecution’s explanation for the absence of the defendants in court, alleging double standards in police operations.
He argued that while the Police Force went to extraordinary lengths to arrest the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in Kenya, and to repeatedly harass activist Omoyele Sowore, it now claims to be unable to locate recently retired senior officers.
The defence lawyer further informed the court that he had filed a preliminary objection challenging the charges.
In response, presiding judge Justice Yusuf Halilu ruled that the defendants must first take their pleas before any objection can be entertained, stressing that “the wheel of justice cannot be stopped.”
He adjourned the matter to November 17, 2025, and reiterated his directive that the retired officers must appear in person at the next sitting.
SaharaReporters had earlier detailed police discoveries that the retired officers falsified their age records to unlawfully extend their service years. Former Lagos Police Commissioner Idowu Owohunwa was accused of altering his age declaration in December 2024 to claim he was born on July 20, 1970, rather than his true birth year.
Similarly, Igwe was alleged to have adjusted his records to reflect 1968 instead of 1964, with conflicting enlistment papers listing 1988 and 1996 as entry dates.
Retired ACP Simon Lough was also accused of falsifying his birth date in 2022, shifting it from May 14, 1967, to May 14, 1969.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences contravene Sections 97, 161, 366, and 158 of the Penal Code.
The accused officers, however, have denied any wrongdoing, describing the case as baseless and politically motivated.
They said it stemmed from a petition filed by the Integrity Youth Alliance, a civil society group led by Kelvin Adegbenga, which in January 2025 accused them of manipulating official records to prolong their service.
Following the petition, the IGP issued queries for misconduct on January 7, 2025. In his response, Owohunwa admitted that a clerical “mix-up” had mistakenly altered his birth year on his APER Form but insisted his official appointment date of August 15, 1996, remained unchanged.
Igwe and Lough also maintained their innocence, arguing that the petitioner had confused their files with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) scheme, which allows qualified officers to be upgraded under specific conditions.
Despite their defence, the police leadership deemed the contradictions serious enough to warrant prosecution.
