Age Falsification Scandal Rocks Police As IGP Drags Five Top Officers To Court

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has filed criminal charges against five senior retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force over allegations of falsifying age records to unlawfully extend their service years.

Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court has scheduled Thursday, September 25, 2025, for their arraignment on a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and misconduct.

Those named in the charge sheet are Idowu Owohunwa, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police; Benneth Igwe and Ukachi Opara, both retired Commissioners of Police; Obo Ukam Obo, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police; and Simon Lough, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police. The documents also made reference to “others at large” alleged to have been involved in manipulating official records.

According to prosecutors, Owohunwa is accused of falsifying his age declaration in December 2024, claiming to have been born on July 20, 1970, rather than his actual date of birth. Igwe allegedly altered his birth year from 1964 to 1968, with additional discrepancies found in his enlistment papers, which carried conflicting entry dates of 1988 and 1996. Similarly, Lough is said to have adjusted his date of birth from May 14, 1967, to May 14, 1969, in July 2022, in breach of Public Service Rules.

The alleged offences contravene Sections 97, 161, 366, and 158 of the Penal Code, which prescribe punishments for conspiracy, forgery, and related misconduct.

The accused officers, however, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, pointing to a petition filed earlier in the year by the Integrity Youth Alliance, a civil society group led by Kelvin Adegbenga. The group had in January accused the officers of tampering with their service records to prolong their tenure.

Following the petition, the police leadership issued queries on January 7, 2025. In his response, Owohunwa admitted to a “mix-up” in his APER Form, where his birth year was mistakenly recorded as 1970 instead of 1967, but maintained that his official appointment date of August 15, 1996, remained unchanged. Igwe and Lough also denied wrongdoing, insisting that the petitioner had confused their service records with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) scheme, which allows certain officers to upgrade their qualifications and records.

Despite their explanations, police authorities argued that the inconsistencies were too significant to ignore, stressing that the case goes to the heart of integrity, discipline, and adherence to public service regulations.