The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has rejected as unfounded allegations linking the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, to the alleged wrongful arrest of a journalist, insisting that the claims are misleading and unsupported by facts.
According to a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Force said the IGP neither authourized nor condoned the arrest, harassment, or intimidation of any journalist. The reaction followed an announcement by the International Press Institute (IPI) suspending its engagement with the police over the incident.
According to the police, upon receiving formal notification of the incident from IPI President Musikilu Mojeed, through the Force Public Relations Officer, the IGP immediately ordered the journalist’s release and directed the Force Monitoring Unit to investigate the conduct of the officers involved. The police said clear instructions were issued that any officer found culpable would face disciplinary action in line with extant laws and procedures, adding that IPI was duly informed of these steps.
The NPF described suggestions of institutional hostility to press freedom as incorrect and disingenuous, noting that misconduct by individual officers should not be attributed to the leadership of the Force or portrayed as official policy.
Highlighting its size and nationwide deployment of over 300,000 personnel, the police acknowledged that isolated cases of misconduct may occur but stressed that such cases are investigated and addressed through due process. The Force warned against generalising individual actions as leadership failure or institutional policy.
The statement also disclosed that the petition submitted by IPI was referred to the Force Monitoring Unit for investigation but alleged that the institute declined repeated invitations to appear before the Unit to formally adopt and harmonise its statements—a procedural requirement for concluding investigations and enforcing disciplinary measures.
Against this backdrop, the police questioned the objectivity and proportionality of IPI’s decision to suspend engagement with the Force over what it described as a single incident, despite immediate corrective action and an ongoing investigation.
The Nigeria Police Force reiterated its commitment to constitutional policing, media freedom, and professional accountability, while emphasising that due process must be allowed to run its course.
