President Bola Tinubu has endorsed that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, remain in office until 2027.
Against the backdrop of reports that his tenure was extended, a senior police source, who requested anonymity, made sense of the fact that the letter was not an extension but rather an affirmation that he ought to finish the four-year tenure as initially stated in his letter of appointment.
The source said, “The tenure of the IGP was not extended but rather a clarification on his letter of appointment that stipulated four years in office.”
In July, the National Assembly passed the Police Act Amendment Bill to empower an individual appointed to the office of Inspector General of Police (IGP) to remain in office until the end of the tenure specified in the letter of appointment.
President Tinubu passed the Bill to the Green and Red Chamber to revise the tenure of the IGP.
The Bill was speedily passed by lawmakers in both Upper and Lower chambers. The Upper and Lower chambers passed the bill at separate sittings.
The President appointed Egbetokun as the IGP in June 2023 for four years. He was appointed alongside four new service chiefs.
As per Section 18(8) of the Police Act 2020, Egbetokun, who was born September 4, 1964, is supposed to retire in September 2024, when he clocks 60.
Right now, Egbetokun has been in office for one year and 90 days, with two years and nine months remaining of his four-year appointment.
The controversy about the tenure of IGP didn’t begin with the current police chief. That of Egbetokun’s predecessor, Usman Baba, was not in any way unique. Baba clocked 60 years old in March 2023 and attained the mandatory 35 years of service, he however remained in office till Tinubu appointed Egbetokun as his replacement three months later.
