Discharged? Not Me! – Retired DIG Fights Back Against Age Scandal Claims

Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations), Ari Mohammed Ali, has firmly denied reports claiming he was dismissed from service due to age falsification and breaches of service regulations.

In a statement released by his media aide, Ibrahim Anas Alemani, over the weekend, Ali described the allegations as “false, misleading, and a calculated attempt to damage his reputation.” He emphasized that he served the Nigeria Police Force with integrity, retiring honorably after a career distinguished by professionalism and excellence.

The statement clarified: “DIG Ari Mohammed Ali (rtd) joined the Nigeria Police Force on March 3, 1990, as part of the 16th Cadet ASP Course. He received his training at the prestigious Police Academy in Kaduna and served across several commands, including Delta, Bayelsa, Lagos, Rivers, and Kano States, as well as the Police Staff College in Jos.”

Ali also served as Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, in Lagos for three years, during which he earned the Security Watch Africa Award of Excellence as the Best Operations Officer in African Security in 2018.

During his tenure as Commissioner of Police in Delta State from 2021 to 2023, Delta was ranked among the safest states in Nigeria.

He was promoted to Assistant Inspector General of Police in 2023 and posted to Zone 2, Lagos. In January 2024, he was redeployed to Force Headquarters as AIG Community Policing, and later transferred to Kano as AIG Zone 1.

Ali eventually rose to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police on November 24, 2024, serving as DIG Operations at Force Headquarters, Abuja, until his retirement on March 1, 2025, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 and completing 35 years of service.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters earlier reported that Ali, now retired, has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and intends to contest for the Nasarawa South Senate seat in the 2027 general elections.

This move follows a trend set by former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who, after retiring in 2021, announced his intention to run for governor of Nasarawa State under the APC platform.