The Inspector General of Police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun has decorated two most outstanding police officers for 2023 and 2024.
The police officers were also given special promotions to their next ranks.
Egbetokun also addressed critics whom he accused of tarnishing his image and that of the Nigeria Police Force, pledging to continue offering his best efforts for the progress of the Nigeria Police Force, declaring “Your lies will not derail our reforms”.
The IGP stated this while decorating CSP Shaba Aliyu as the Police Officer of the Year 2023 and SP Sentome Obi and Police Officer of the Year 2024.
The decorated police personnel were also beneficiaries of special promotion scheme at the event held at the Force Headquarters, Abuja on Tuesday.
Egbetokun expressed the readiness of the police management under him to continue with the reforms being embarked upon in the Force.
According to him, “Let me be unequivocal, there is no gender advantage. No ethnic preference. No religious pathway. Only merit. But even as we mark this milestone, we are not blind to the resistance. We know there are those who fear change, who attack progress because it exposes their irrelevance.
”A certain corner of social media has become a playground for professional mischief-makers and agents of institutional sabotage. They twist facts, malign honourable men, and attempt to discredit noble efforts with shameless dishonesty.
”Let me send them a clear and final message, ‘Your lies will not derail our reform. Your noise will not drown our resolve. And your provocations, if sustained, will be met with lawful consequences.’ The Nigeria Police Force is moving forward — with or without your approval,” the IGP said.
On the significance of the event, the IGP said, “We are not merely decorating officers, we are defining a legacy. This moment marks a deliberate and strategic departure from the shadows of mediocrity. It is a resounding reaffirmation of what we stand for — excellence, integrity, merit, and national pride.
”We have come to honour men whose stories now serve as institutional case studies in courage and professionalism.
”These two officers did not walk casually into this honour – they earned it through distinction in a field of giants. They were selected from among the very best – officers who had also demonstrated exceptional courage, integrity and professionalism, and who were nominated across multiple categories during the fiercely contested 2023 and 2024 award years,” he said.
Egbedokun stressed that the process that led to their emergence was deliberately rigorous, grounded in objectivity and insulated from influence.
“It was a process designed to sift not just for performance, but for character. And they rose to the top – not by accident, not by favour, but by merit. Let every officer here take note, this is the standard. If you aspire to be here tomorrow, it begins with what you do today,” he said.
The IGP however, stated that the decoration was not a replacement for other promotions in the Force.
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