BREAKING: IGP Disu Removes Akin Fakorede As Head Of IGP Monitoring Unit Amid Corruption Allegations

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Sources told SaharaReporters on Sunday that the removal was ordered by Inspector General of Police Olatunji Disu. Fakorede, a former commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), was appointed to lead the IGP Monitoring Unit in December 2024 by then-IGP Kayode Egbetokun.

Commissioner of Police Akin Fakorede has been removed as Head of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, SaharaReporters has learnt.

His appointment had drawn criticism from human rights groups due to allegations of brutality, extrajudicial killings, and election-related misconduct during his SARS tenure.

Civil society organisations had expressed concerns that his past record could undermine public trust in the police monitoring unit.

Fakorede’s tenure at the unit was marked by allegations of human rights violations, bias, and unprofessional conduct. Notably, he was implicated in a controversial land dispute at Abuja’s River Park Estate, where he was accused of showing bias against Ghanaian investors.

In January 2026, the unit under his leadership reportedly attacked journalists and workers during a protest at the same estate.

In September 2025, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike publicly criticised Fakorede, describing him as a “killer” with a history of brutality and interference in elections, particularly during Wike’s tenure as Governor of Rivers State.

Speaking on Channels Television, Wike highlighted Fakorede’s previous leadership of the Federal SARS unit in Rivers State and repeatedly condemned his alleged misconduct.

Wike noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had reportedly written to the police to bar Fakorede from participating in elections.

He said he had raised these concerns directly with former IGP Egbetokun, warning that Fakorede’s appointment to the monitoring team was alarming.

During the TV interview, Wike said, “Then the only policeman, the one they called Akin Fakorede, I hear now, is the one in charge of the IG monitoring team. He was in charge of SARS. That was a killer.

“He was in charge of SARS in Rivers State. I say a killer. A killer. Can I tell you? That’s nothing I cannot say today.”

In February 2025, a SaharaReporters investigation revealed how Nigerian police authorities allegedly shielded international fraudster Jesam Michael, CEO of Afriq Arbitrage System (AAS).

Sources told SaharaReporters that Michael’s arrest, which involved collaboration between the police and the Nigeria Immigration Service, came only after significant hesitation.

The sources further claimed that Akin Fakorede consistently dismissed evidence against Michael, insisting on his innocence, despite reports that he defrauded 56,000 investors and facilitated over 590,000 illegal transactions through his fraudulent Ponzi scheme platform.

SaharaReporters also reported that approximately $1.6 billion was traced to Michael’s digital wallet, collected from thousands of unsuspecting subscribers.

“Many police officers call him ‘Odogwu’ and he is close to most of them. He is even seen as a philanthropist,” one of the sources familiar with police interaction with Michael said.