The exit of former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has reignited public debate on the use of state power and accountability within the Nigeria Police Force.
The development became known on Monday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where legal teams were present in relation to ongoing cases involving activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore.
In a statement issued by human rights lawyer Tope Temokun and made available to Chronicles Reporters, the former police chief’s departure was described as “a reminder that power is transient and public office comes with inevitable accountability.”
According to the statement, Egbetokun’s tenure was marked by repeated allegations of abuse of police powers, including intimidation, harassment, and what were described as politically motivated prosecutions against dissenting voices. Temokun noted that despite public calls for an honourable exit, the former IGP allegedly “clung to authority,” deploying state machinery against critics.
The statement also recalled the controversial decision during Egbetokun’s tenure to have Sowore declared wanted through the Lagos State Police Command, a move that later attracted legal consequences. Temokun described the action as a “proxy battle that backfired both legally and institutionally,” leaving those involved exposed after the former IGP’s exit.
A central point raised in the statement was a ₦30 million court-ordered liability against Egbetokun, arising from actions adjudged unlawful while he was still in office. Temokun described the judgment as a symbolic marker of a tenure allegedly defined by excesses and disregard for citizens’ rights.
“This is perhaps one of the most striking ironies of the moment — a serving Inspector-General leaving office under the weight of a judicial debt,” the statement said.
Temokun concluded by urging the newly appointed Inspector-General and officers still in service to learn from history, stressing that law enforcement authority must be exercised with restraint, respect for human dignity, and adherence to the rule of law.
“When authority is weaponised against citizens,” he warned, “the clock of reckoning begins to tick and it always comes, sometimes quietly, sometimes suddenly, but inevitably.”
Chronicles Reporters