EXCLUSIVE: Inspector-General Egbetokun Removes AIG Fayoade From Zone 2 Lagos To Stop His Planned Emergence As Next Police Boss

Embattled Nigerian Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the removal of Adegoke Fayoade, the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone 2 Command, Lagos, amid fears that he was being positioned to succeed him (Egbetokun) as Nigeria’s next police chief.

SaharaReporters learnt on Wednesday that although the Nigeria Police Force officially claimed that Fayoade’s removal was linked to “corruption allegations,” his removal is tied to Egbetokun's secret plot to stop Fayoade's emergence as his successor.

According to credible sources, Fayoade, a respected senior officer,  had become the subject of a political tussle within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after reports emerged that Bisi Akande, a founding leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Osun State governor, had been lobbying the Bola Tinubu Presidency to favour Fayoade's appointment.

The AIG was Akande's former aide-de-camp as governor, SaharaReporters was told.

“The truth is that Fayoade was never removed because of corruption. That’s just a convenient excuse. What really happened is that the IGP and his camp see him as a threat because Akande and other APC power brokers were quietly working for his emergence as the next Inspector-General. This caused bad blood between him and the IGP,” a top source told SaharaReporters.

Fayoade’s redeployment from Zone 2, one of the most strategic police commands in Nigeria covering Lagos and Ogun states,  is seen as a deliberate move to weaken Fayoade's influence and derail any succession plan in his favour.

AIG Adegoke Mustapha Fayoade was born on October 28, 1966, in Ila-Orangun, Osun State.

Fayoade joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, as a Cadet ASP and has risen through the ranks with postings across Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Ogun, and Lagos states.

He has also served as DPO in several divisions in Lagos, Area Commander in Otta, Commandant of Police Training College Oyin-Akoko, and DCP at the SCID Panti.

He later became Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos Command, then CP (Armament) at Force Headquarters Abuja before his elevation to Assistant Inspector-General of Police in Zone 2 (Lagos and Ogun).

SaharaReporters reports that Egbetokun sits over a highly divided police force with internal grievances over controversial and nepotistic promotions amid a police pension crisis.

The current IGP has attained his mandatory retirement age but he has refused to leave, adding to the crisis around his infamous stay in office.

Several groups and opinion leaders have faulted Egbetokun's continued stay in office.

Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow Movement convener, Omoyele Sowore has been vocal in calling for the immediate resignation of the IGP Egbetokun.
 
Sowore has consistently slammed Egbetokun for his continued stay in office illegally, and condemned the IGP for "refusing to retire while all his mates left office on March 3, 2025".

In a statement posted on social media, Sowore described Egbetokun as the “Illegal General of the Nigeria Police Force,” criticising his refusal to retire despite his peers having exited the force on March 3, 2025. 
 
Sowore argued that the police leadership must allow for a fair succession process, ensuring that other officers have the opportunity to rise to the top.
“This ILLEGAL IG of @PoliceNG (a.k.a Illegal General of the Nigeria Police Force) has refused to retire while all his mates left on March 3rd, 2025," Sowore said in one of his posts.

SaharaReporters had in July reported that the Police Service Commission (PSC) approved the special promotion of 37 senior police officers handpicked by Egbetokun, but internal uproar within the force stalled the public announcement of the list.

The promotions, largely considered controversial, sparked ethnic and institutional tensions within the Nigeria Police Force.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that out of the 37 officers promoted under “special consideration,” 30 were allegedly of Yoruba origin—fueling growing concerns that IGP Egbetokun is presiding over a regionally biased or “provincial” police leadership.

The development has sparked discontent across various police commands, particularly among officers who believe they were overlooked for promotion despite being qualified, allegedly due to ethnic considerations.

Several of the promoted officers are said to be close associates of the IGP, either currently working with him on the 7th floor of the Force Headquarters in Abuja or longstanding allies from his previous postings.

Also, there have been protests by retired police officers demanding better welfare and pension payments. The retired personnel marched to the Force Headquarters in Abuja to express grievances about poor conditions of service and neglect of police families.

Sowore, who was part of the demonstration, described it as “historic” and a step toward advocating for a fairer policing system in Nigeria.