THE Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has charged some senior police officers in court for age falsification.
The matter came up at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Thursday, September 25, before a judge, Yusuf Halilu, of Court 13.
When the judge called the matter, the defendants which include, Idowu Owohunwa, a retired assistant inspector general; Benneth Igwe, a retired commissioner of police and former FCT commissioner of police; Ukachi Opara, a retired commissioner of police; Obo Ukam Obo, a retired deputy commissioner of police; and Simon Lough, a retired assistant commissioner of police were absent in court.
The defendants’ absence led to a hot exchange of word between the police lawyer, Riman Ezekiel, an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and counsel to the defendants, TJ Aondo, a senior advocate.
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According to the prosecuting counsel, the matter has been heard three times without the defendants appearing in court despite been served the charges.
He insisted that the court should issue a bench warrant to produce the defendants in court since it was a criminal case.
Responding, the defence counsel insisted that the accused had not been served with the court papers.
“My learned friend cannot speak for me. Up till now, the defendants have not been served,” Aondo stated.
He also informed the court that he had deposited an application for preliminary objection on the matter before the court.
In his intervention, the judge faulted the police for not producing the defendants in court since they were until recently, member of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
He also said he would not take the preliminary objection submitted by Aondo until the defendants are produced in court.
“No matter the preliminary objection, I cannot take it in the absence of the defendants. Let them come to court. Let them take their plea ” the judge said.
He thereafter adjourned the case to November 17, 2025, for further hearing.
Also present in the court was human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, who told journalists he came to ensure fair hearing for some of the officers who had violated the rights of protesters in the past.
The ICIR reported
on Wednesday that the IGP would arraign some senior police officers over alleged age falsification.
The police officers were accused of falsifying age records to unlawfully extend their years of service.
Egbetokun filed a 14-count charge against the former police chiefs.
According to the prosecution, Owohunwa, in December 2024, allegedly altered his age declaration to reflect July 20, 1970, as his date of birth instead of his actual birth year.
Similarly, Igwe was accused of tampering with his record to show October 7, 1968, whereas investigators claimed he was born in 1964.
His enlistment documents also reportedly carried conflicting entry dates of 1988 and 1996.
The charge further alleged that Lough falsified his records in July 2022 by changing his birth year from 1967 to 1969 in breach of the Public Service Rules.
The offences, according to the police, contravene sections 97, 161, 366 and 158 of the Penal Code.
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The accused officers have denied the allegations, describing them as baseless.
They insisted the charges arose from a petition by a civil society group, Integrity Youth Alliance, led by Kelvin Adegbenga, which accused them of manipulating their records to prolong their stay in service.
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Following the petition, the IGP issued queries of serious misconduct to them on January 7, 2025.
In his response dated January 16, 2025, Owohunwa admitted there was a mix-up in his APER Form for Senior Police Officers, which mistakenly reflected 1970 as his year of birth, but maintained that his official appointment date of August 15, 1996, had never been altered.
Igwe and Lough also rejected the allegations, explaining that the petitioner confused their details with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria scheme, which permits qualified officers to be upgraded. They argued that under the scheme, officers were deemed to have resigned from previous appointments upon conversion to senior ranks.
Despite their defence, the police maintained that the discrepancies in their records were serious enough to warrant criminal prosecution.