The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has initiated criminal proceedings against several high-ranking retired police officers, accusing them of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to falsify official documents and manipulate service records.
A 14-count criminal charge, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja under case number CR/353/25, names five retired officers as primary defendants: AIG Idowu Owohunwa, CP Benneth Igweh, CP Ukachi Peter Opara, DCP Obo Ukam Obo, and ACP Simon A. Lough, SAN. The IGP has indicated that additional suspects connected to the case remain at large.
According to court documents, the accused officers—who reportedly joined the Nigeria Police Force around 1999—are alleged to have engaged in a coordinated conspiracy involving document forgery, record manipulation, and age falsification. The prosecution claims they created fake police signals to support falsified information in official files and unlawfully altered official police service records.
Prosecutors have identified forged Signal No. DTO 221535/05/89, allegedly issued from NIGPOL Admin Lagos to the Police Academy Commandant in Kaduna, as central evidence in the case. This document was reportedly used to support fraudulent entries in the officers’ official records.
The charges extend beyond simple document forgery, alleging that the retired officers used these falsified signals in multiple court cases to deceive judicial proceedings and obtain favorable judgments against the Nigeria Police Force. Specifically, the prosecution claims the defendants fraudulently used forged signals in several cases at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria between 2019 and 2022, including ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha & Others vs. PSC & 2 Others (Suit No: NICN/ABJ/354/2019), ACP Sunday Okuguni & Others vs. PSC & 1 Other (Suit No: NICN/ABJ/353/2019), and multiple cases involving Police Academy courses 33, 34, and 35.
The charges are filed under various sections of the Penal Code Law, including Section 97(1)(2) for criminal conspiracy, Section 366 for forgery and using forged documents as genuine, and Section 161 for fraudulent deception to obtain judgments.
This case represents one of the most significant internal corruption scandals within the Nigeria Police Force in recent years, involving senior officers allegedly manipulating the very system they were sworn to protect. The charges suggest a systematic approach to document falsification that may have affected multiple court proceedings and official records. The case is expected to proceed through the Federal Capital Territory High Court system, with potential implications for other officers who may have been involved in similar practices.
The defendants have not yet responded publicly to the charges, and the case remains under judicial review.
