IGP responds to Sowore, refutes allegations of ethnic bias in police promotions

IGP responds to Sowore, refutes allegations of ethnic bias in police promotions

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Tuesday defended the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) promotion system against allegations of favouritism.

Egbetokun made the remarks during the decoration of officers recently promoted by the Police Service Commission (PSC) in Abuja.

His statement came after publisher and activist Omoyele Sowore alleged that the promotions reflected ethnic bias, claiming an unusually high number of Yoruba officers had been promoted.

Sowore had said, “The IGP’s press release is not transparency; it’s camouflage. This sleight of hand is intended to deflect public scrutiny and disguise a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of cronies and ethnic loyalists.

“The truth is that Egbetokun’s special promotion list is lopsided, opaque, and scandalously skewed in favour of Yorubas. When Muhammadu Buhari was doing the same, we all condemned it.

“When Goodluck Jonathan was doing the same, we all condemned it. The police force under Egbetokun’s watch has become a breeding ground for corruption, favouritism, and ethnic imbalance.”

Sowore further accused force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, of withholding the promotion list to hide the alleged favouritsm.

Sowore said, “If the IGP truly had nothing to hide, he would have released the complete list of promotions, like the 29,000 officers elevated after the #PoliceProtest, but he can’t because of exposing his secret upgrades of loyalists like Muyiwa Adejobi and sidekicks like Bukola Yemisi Kuti and Yemisi Ademosu.

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“Muyiwa and Egbetokun only resorted to a new tactic earlier today, claiming that these exposés are targeting women in his office, his mistresses.

“Still, he forgot to tell Nigerians that there are hundreds of hard-working police women in the Nigeria Police Force who have remained stuck without promotion, some have spent 20 years, because they won’t play ball.”

Responding, Egbetokun, who didn’t directly mention Sowore, described the allegations as the handiwork of “professional mischief-makers and agents of institutional sabotage” who use social media to malign “honourable men.”

He said the NPF had identified individuals attempting to undermine progress because reforms rendered them irrelevant and warned they would face lawful consequences.

“Let me be unequivocal: There is no gender advantage. No ethnic preference. No religious pathway. Only merit. But even as we mark this milestone, we are not blind to the resistance.

“We know there are those who fear change — who attack progress because it exposes their irrelevance.

“A certain corner of social media has become a playground for professional mischief-makers and agents of institutional sabotage.

“They twist facts, malign honourable men, and attempt to discredit noble efforts with shameless dishonesty.

“Let me send them a clear and final message: Your lies will not derail our reforms. Your noise will not drown our resolve. And your provocations, if sustained, will be met with lawful” he noted.

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Egbetokun emphasised that the promoted officers emerged from a rigorous selection process based on courage, integrity, professionalism, and nominations in multiple categories during the 2023 and 2024 award years.

The promotions followed the IGP’s recommendation for officers named Police Officer of the Year or those who won any police award category twice in two consecutive years.

“We have come to honour men whose stories now serve as institutional case studies in courage and professionalism: CSP Shaba Aliyu, Police Officer of the Year, 2023, and SP Sentome Obi, Police Officer of the Year 2024.

“These two officers did not walk casually into this honour – they earned it through distinction in a field of giants.”

He explained that the selection process underwent rigorous review and excluded undue influence.

He continued, “This process was designed to sift not just for performance, but for character. They rose to the top – not by accident, not by favour, but by merit.

“We did not set the bar low. No. That would insult the dignity of this exercise. Out of over 300,000 officers, only 38 met the stringent criteria for accelerated promotion.

“These officers did not lobby for favour; they let their work speak. And the institution has responded — publicly, proudly, and with full institutional endorsement.

“Let every officer here take note: this is the standard. If you aspire to be here tomorrow, it begins with what you do today.”

He clarified that the initiative complemented rather than replaced the existing promotional structure and aimed to encourage diligence across police commands and divisions nationwide.

Egbetokun also disclosed that the NPF had promoted over 10,000 officers in two years, including 5,008 officers in the just-concluded 2025 promotion exercise.

“This initiative is not designed to replace our existing promotion structure. On the contrary, it complements it.

“Between 2023 and today, over 10,000 officers have been promoted through our regular and transparent promotion processes.

“In this Force, promotion is no longer about who you know — it is about what you contribute,” Egbetokun declared.

IGP responds to Sowore, refutes allegations of ethnic bias in police promotions