Two dismissed officers of the Nigeria Police Force have come forward with explosive allegations, claiming they were terminated after rejecting an ₦8 million bribe and attempting to expose a suspected car theft syndicate allegedly protected by high-ranking officials during the tenure of IGP Kayode Egbetokun as the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State.
The former officers, whose identities are being withheld for their safety, allege they were pressured to drop a criminal case involving a known car theft suspect. According to their testimony, after conducting a lawful arrest and initiating formal procedures, they were offered a bribe of ₦8 million to bury the case.
“We refused the bribe because we believed in justice and the rule of law,” said one of the dismissed officers. “Instead of being commended, we were punished. They fabricated allegations against us, and before we knew it, we were dismissed from the Force without a fair hearing.”
The ex-officers claim the cover-up reached senior levels of the police command, implicating figures who allegedly facilitated the release of the suspect and shielded him from prosecution. These events, they say, took place under the watch of then-Kwara State CP, Kayode Egbetokun, who now serves as the Inspector General of Police.
Human rights organizations and civil society groups have called for an independent investigation into the claims, describing the allegations as a “severe breach of public trust” and a potential threat to national security if allowed to go unchecked.
“This case is not just about corruption—it’s about silencing honest officers who refuse to be complicit in crime,” said one legal advocate closely monitoring the case. “If true, it points to systemic rot and a failure of accountability at the highest levels of policing.”
The Nigeria Police Force has not yet issued an official statement regarding the allegations. Calls for an independent judicial panel are gaining traction across social media and in legal circles, with many urging the Federal Government to step in.