Renowned Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has described the departure of Kayode Egbetokun from the Nigeria Police Force as “the close of a chapter many would rather forget than footnote.”
In a statement titled “Midweek Musing: When Tenure Outlives Trust — Egbetokun Years and the Crisis of Command,” Ejiofor offered a sweeping critique of the former Inspector-General’s leadership, arguing that his tenure was defined by deepening institutional distrust and unresolved structural deficiencies within the Force.
According to Ejiofor, the Police under Egbetokun’s watch grappled with persistent allegations of entrenched petty corruption, often rationalized as “field exigencies.”
He further alleged patterns of operational recklessness in crowd control and civil engagement, alongside what he described as a disciplinary architecture that appeared ornamental rather than functional.
He also pointed to opaque promotion and posting systems that, in his view, fueled perceptions of patronage over merit.
Such practices, he argued, weakened morale and undermined institutional credibility.
Ejiofor described Egbetokun’s extended tenure as controversial in both optics and internal morale, creating what he termed a “peculiar paradox” within the Force.
“Senior officers retired in sequence; contemporaries stepped aside; yet the apex remained immovable,” he noted.
He argued that in a disciplined hierarchy where progression is considered sacrosanct, such asymmetry inevitably breeds quiet resentment and suppressed morale among officers.
The human rights lawyer further observed that public commentary throughout Egbetokun’s tenure frequently lamented the persistence of “roadside taxation” under official uniforms, investigations allegedly susceptible to inducement, and selective enforcement in politically sensitive matters. He also criticized what he described as the inadequacy of transparent and independently verifiable accountability mechanisms.
“Such perceptions, whether universally fair or not, shape public trust. And in policing, perception is as consequential as performance,” he stated.
Looking ahead, Ejiofor urged the incoming leadership of the Police Force to resist cosmetic reforms and instead pursue substantive institutional rebuilding anchored on public trust.
He called for the publication of disciplinary outcomes, promotion criteria, and operational standards in accessible formats to enhance transparency.
He further advocated for a decisive end to what he described as an opaque patronage culture that corrodes morale and erodes professionalism within the Force.
The full statement reads: The departure of Kayode Egbetokun from the helm of the Nigeria Police Force marks not merely the end of a tenure, but the close of a chapter many would rather forget than footnote. History, however, is rarely so indulgent.
His stewardship, prolonged beyond conventional expectations and defended with bureaucratic elasticity, unfolded against a backdrop of mounting public distrust, deepening institutional malaise, and a corrosion of professional ethos that had long been simmering beneath the surface. What was inherited as a fragile institution was not so much repaired as revarnished; and varnish, however glossy, cannot indefinitely conceal structural rot.
A Tenure Overshadowed by Institutional Fatigue
The Nigerian Police Force, even before this era, was no stranger to criticism. Allegations of bribery at checkpoints, investigative lethargy, politicised deployments, and opaque disciplinary mechanisms predated any single Inspector-General. Yet, leadership defines direction , and direction defines destiny.
Under Egbetokun’s watch, the Force grappled with persistent accusations of: Entrenched petty corruption masquerading as “field exigencies”; Operational recklessness in crowd control and civil engagement; A disciplinary architecture that often appeared ornamental rather than functional; and Opaque promotion and posting systems, which fuelled perceptions of patronage over merit.
One must ask , with no small measure of professional candour, whether institutional continuity was mistaken for stability, and longevity for legitimacy.
The extended tenure, controversial in both optics and morale, created a peculiar paradox. Senior officers retired in sequence; contemporaries stepped aside; yet the apex remained immovable. In a disciplined hierarchy where progression is sacrosanct, such asymmetry inevitably breeds quiet resentment and muted morale.
Institutional vitality thrives on renewal. When the upper echelons stagnate, initiative calcifies. Policy begins to wobble under its own weight. Innovation yields to caution; caution to inertia.
It would be historically incomplete, however, to suggest that decay was born in this era. The Nigerian Police Force has, for decades, wrestled with inadequate funding, welfare deficits, political interference, and inconsistent training standards. But leadership is measured not by the absence of inherited problems, but by the clarity and courage with which they are confronted.
Corruption within policing structures is not merely an administrative flaw; it is a constitutional contradiction. A Force empowered to enforce the law cannot be seen to commodify it. Where bail becomes negotiable currency, where investigation bends before influence, and where enforcement fluctuates with pecuniary persuasion, public confidence retreats into cynicism.
During this tenure, public commentary frequently lamented; The persistence of “roadside taxation” under official uniforms; Investigations susceptible to inducement; Selective enforcement in politically sensitive matters; The inadequacy of transparent, independently verifiable accountability mechanisms.
Such perceptions, whether universally fair or not , shape public trust. And in policing, perception is as consequential as performance.
With the reported appointment of Olatunji Disu as the incoming Inspector-General, the Force stands at a delicate inflection point. Inheriting a structure described by many as fatigued and reputationally bruised is no enviable task. Yet crisis, properly confronted, can become catalyst.
The incoming leadership must resist cosmetic reform. What is required is structural recalibration:
1. Radical Transparency
Publication of disciplinary outcomes, promotion criteria, and operational standards in accessible formats.
2. Merit-Driven Advancement
An end to the opaque patronage culture that corrodes morale.
3. Technological Accountability
Digital tracking of complaints, body, worn camera expansion, and independent audit frameworks.
4. Welfare Reforms
A demoralised constable cannot inspire public respect. Adequate remuneration, housing, and psychological support are not luxuries, they are safeguards against corruption.
5. Civic Re-orientation
The Force must re-learn that authority without courtesy is intimidation, and intimidation without legitimacy is instability.
Nigeria does not need a police force that salutes power and lectures the powerless. It needs one that understands that the uniform is not a costume of privilege but a covenant of service.
If the previous era taught us anything, it is that extended tenure does not equate to extended trust. Stability that does not produce reform merely stabilises dysfunction.
The Nigerian Police Force must decide whether it wishes to be feared, tolerated, or respected. Only one of these choices is compatible with democracy.
History will record the Egbetokun years. The question is whether the Disu years will merely annotate them or courageously depart from them."
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