“If there are any of the security heads who should be booted out with immediate effect, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, ranks highest.”
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Tinubu to sack the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over what it described as his poor performance and failure to address worsening insecurity across the country.
The call came on the heels of Friday’s dismissal of the nation’s service chiefs by President Tinubu. In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA expressed dismay that the “non-performing” IGP was retained despite what it termed the collapse of Nigeria’s internal security architecture.
The group alleged that under Egbetokun’s leadership, the Nigeria Police Force had grown “weaker operationally,” with its intelligence-gathering capacity “virtually evaporated.”
“If there are any of the security heads who should be booted out with immediate effect, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, ranks highest,” the statement read. “The hierarchy of the police lacks what it takes to adequately police all nooks and crannies of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
While commending the President for appointing new service chiefs who, according to the group, largely reflected the federal character principle of the Nigerian Constitution, HURIWA accused Tinubu of allowing “ethnic sentiments” to influence his decision to retain the IGP.
“The only reason the President left the IGP is allegedly because he is a kinsman of the President and had served as his Chief Security Officer for eight years in Lagos when Tinubu was governor,” HURIWA stated.
The group urged the President to demonstrate fairness and objectivity by appointing a younger, more competent officer to lead the police in tackling Nigeria’s deepening security challenges.
