BREAKING: Outcry As Nigeria Police Quietly Redeploy Disgraced Ex-IGP Monitoring Unit Head Fakorede To FCID Alagbon

His new posting to head the anti-fraud division has generated reactions within police circles and renewed scrutiny of personnel movements within the Nigeria Police Force.

Commissioner of Police Akin Fakorede, formerly head of the controversial Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit, has been redeployed to the Anti-Fraud Unit at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Alagbon.

His new posting to head the anti-fraud division has generated reactions within police circles and renewed scrutiny of personnel movements within the Nigeria Police Force.

Fakorede previously headed the IGP Monitoring Unit, a role that attracted public criticism and controversy from civil society groups and rights advocates.

SaharaReporters learnt that the latest redeployment is part of internal postings within the Force, though it has continued to spark discussions about accountability and reforms in police leadership.

“There is uproar at the FCID Alagbon following the appointment of the disgraced former IGP Monitoring Unit Commissioner of Police, Akin Fakorede, as head of the Anti-Fraud Unit,” a top police source told SaharaReporters.

In March, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that Fakorede had been placed on mandatory leave and was expected to resume after 40 days as Commissioner of Police in charge of Research.

However, with the latest development, he is now expected to head the FCID Annex, Alagbon, rather than return to the Research Department as earlier indicated.

On Sunday, March 8, 2026, SaharaReporters reported that Fakorede had been removed as Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Aliyu Abubakar was posted to replace him as head of the Police Mobile Unit (PMU), also known as the IGP Monitoring Unit.

Sources previously told SaharaReporters that the removal was ordered by Inspector General of Police Olatunji Disu.

Fakorede, a former commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), had been appointed to lead the IGP Monitoring Unit in December 2024 by then-IGP Kayode Egbetokun.

His appointment drew sharp criticism from human rights groups over allegations of brutality, extrajudicial killings, and election-related misconduct during his SARS tenure. Civil society organisations warned that his record could undermine public trust in the monitoring unit.

Fakorede’s tenure was marked by allegations of human rights violations, bias, and unprofessional conduct.

He was notably 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 alleged that 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.