In defence of IGP Kayode Egbetokun (Rtd): A personal reflection on integrity, leadership

By Precious Ijeoma Igbonwelundu

Today, I write not merely as a journalist but as an active observer who has covered the police institution and the broader security ecosystem for nearly 15 years. Experience teaches one thing very quickly: silence in the face of distortion can easily be mistaken for consent.

And as the saying goes, when a lie is told repeatedly, and those who know the truth keep quiet, they risk becoming enablers of falsehood.

In recent times, I have watched with deep disappointment as a barrage of allegations, many of them unsubstantiated and plainly outlandish, have been directed at the immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

The tone and persistence of these attacks raise questions not only about their intent but also about the ease with which narratives are manufactured and amplified in the digital age.

Having encountered Dr. Egbetokun years ago when he served as an Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commandant of the Police Training School, Ikeja, I formed an impression that has not wavered: he is a disciplined, principled, and remarkably content officer.

Quiet but firm. Courteous yet decisive. A man who, even in routine interactions, displayed a clear aversion to anything that appeared compromised or tainted.

One of the most corrosive traditions within the policing system over the years has been the expectation, sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, that senior officers lobby, and in extreme cases, pay for “juicy” postings.

This culture, whispered about in corridors and occasionally discussed openly, eroded morale and professionalism. Worse still, it weakened public trust in the Force because it fostered the perception that influence, rather than merit, determined operational leadership.

Egbetokun stood apart in this regard. He drew a line that many believed could not be drawn. Multiple senior officers privately attest that under his watch, postings were not commodities to be bought and sold.

He neither solicited nor accepted gratification to deploy officers to strategic commands. In an environment where transactional deployments had become disturbingly normalised, such a position was not merely administrative; it was cultural. It was a statement that professionalism must trump patronage.

Beyond personal integrity, his leadership style emphasised discipline, respect for the chain of command, and operational accountability. He reinforced merit-based postings and promotions, tightened internal monitoring systems, and re-energised supervision across commands and formations.

Those were not cosmetic adjustments; they were attempts to recalibrate institutional values.
Leadership in a complex security environment is rarely perfect, and no tenure is without criticism. But there is a difference between constructive scrutiny and orchestrated character assassination.

It is one thing to interrogate policy decisions; it is another to recycle allegations devoid of evidence simply because controversy attracts attention.
The Nigeria Police Force, like every major institution, is on a long and sometimes difficult journey of reform. Progress may be incremental, and setbacks are inevitable.

However, dismissing every reform effort or impugning every reform-minded leader does little to strengthen the institution. If anything, it discourages the very culture of accountability and professionalism that many citizens demand.

In defending Egbetokun, I do not claim infallibility on his part. Rather, I speak to a pattern of conduct I observed over the years, one marked by restraint, discipline, and an unwillingness to compromise institutional standards for personal gain.

Public discourse thrives on fairness. Those who have held high office deserve scrutiny, but they also deserve accuracy. In an era where narratives travel faster than verification, it is imperative that observers, journalists, and stakeholders resist the temptation to echo unverified claims.

History often offers clearer judgment than the noise of the present. And when that history is written about the tenure of Kayode Egbetokun, I am persuaded that integrity, discipline, and a conscious effort to strengthen professionalism within the Force will feature prominently in the assessment.

Igbonwelundu, Crime Editor of a national newspaper based in Lagos