Justice Yusuf Halilu of an FCT high court has fixed September 25 for the arraignment of five retired senior police officers on charges of allegedly falsifying their ages to extend their service years.
This is after the Inspector-General of police, IGP Kayode Egbetukun, filed forgery charges against them.
The 14 charges are against Idowu Owohunwa, a retired Assistant Inspector General; Benneth Igwe, a retired Commissioner of Police; Ukachi Opara, a retired Commissioner of Police; Obo Ukam Obo, a retired Deputy Commissioner of Police; Simon Lough, a former Assistant Commissioner of Police; and others at large.
In count 11, Owohunwa was accused of dishonestly falsifying a declaration of age in December 2024 in Abuja, claiming he was born on July 20, 1970, instead of his actual date of birth.
In count 12, CP Igwe allegedly altered his record to show he was born on October 7, 1968, whereas the investigation revealed he was born on October 7, 1964.
The charge also noted contradictions in his enlistment record, which indicated 1988 and 1996 as entry dates.
In count 13, ACP Lough was accused of falsifying his age in July 2022 to remain in service.
According to the police, while his records showed he was born on May 14, 1967, he allegedly altered it to May 14, 1969, contrary to the Public Service Rules.
According to the police, the offences are punishable under sections 97, 161, 366, and 158 of the Penal Code.
Recall that most of the accused officers had dismissed the charges as false and malicious, insisting they arose from a petition filed by the Integrity Youth Alliance, led by Kelvin Adegbenga, which accused them of manipulating service records.
The petition prompted the IGP to issue queries of serious misconduct on January 7, 2025.
In a response dated January 16, 2025, AIG Owohunwa admitted a mix-up in his APER Form for Senior Police Officers, which mistakenly altered his birth year from 1967 to 1970. However, he maintained that his official appointment date remained August 15, 1996.
Igwe and Lough also denied wrongdoing, explaining that the petitioner confused their records with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) scheme, which allows qualified officers to be upgraded. They noted that under the scheme, entrants are deemed to have resigned their previous appointments upon conversion to senior officers.
