The tension inside the Nigeria Police Force is getting harder to hide.
Multiple top police sources have confirmed to SaharaReporters that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun quietly approved a fresh batch of promotions—moves many see as a desperate attempt to calm the storm over his recent, highly controversial personnel decisions.
This latest round of elevations comes on the heels of public outrage after revelations that several of the IGP’s alleged close associates—some linked to him personally and even romantically—were fast-tracked through the ranks without meeting mandatory requirements.
The most notorious example was Yemisi Ademosu, a female officer and former orderly to Egbetokun, who reportedly jumped from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) without sitting for the required promotion exams.
Another case causing ripples was that of Bukola Yemisi Kuti, described within police circles as one of the IGP’s “inner circle,” who allegedly rose to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in under 10 years—a meteoric rise almost unheard of in the Force’s history.
The fresh list, obtained exclusively by SaharaReporters, includes several senior officers moving up the chain. For example: Abdul Majid Isah from ACP to Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP); Iwok Ndipere, Mohammed I. Musa, Alkali Abba Hadejia, Jimoh Shittu, Muhammad S. Ibrahim, and Wosu Promise from CSP to ACP; and a handful of others elevated across lower ranks. The changes officially take effect from August 5, 2025.
But beneath the formalities lies a bigger controversy—ethnic imbalance.
Earlier reports had already exposed that 30 of the 37 discretionary promotions under Egbetokun went to officers of Yoruba origin, sparking claims that the Force is being reshaped along regional lines. Many officers from other parts of the country allege they were deliberately sidelined despite having spotless records and meeting all promotion criteria.
Adding fuel to the anger, police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi—himself a beneficiary of the promotion list—announced that the newly elevated officers would be decorated at the IGP’s office. Yet, the official statement conspicuously withheld the full list, releasing only two names: one from the North and another from the Southeast.
Now, with the complete list out in the open, the overwhelming Yoruba dominance is undeniable—and the divisions within the Force are deeper than ever.
What was meant to be a gesture of reconciliation is instead looking like a calculated political move. And for many within the ranks, the question is no longer if this tension will boil over, but when.
