- Olumuyiwa Adejobi announced the arrest of 130 individuals linked to cybercrimes and national security threats
Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun revealed on Monday that several police officers accused of guarding a residence where foreign hackers were recently arrested were on unauthorized duty.
These officers have since been detained and will face disciplinary action for tarnishing the police force’s reputation.
Egbetokun addressed the issue during a press briefing in Abuja following a high-level meeting with investigative unit heads.
Last week, police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi announced the arrest of 130 individuals linked to cybercrimes and national security threats, including 113 foreign nationals from China and Malaysia and 17 Nigerian collaborators.
The police chief confirmed that officers were indeed found protecting the foreign cybercriminals and emphasized that they were not officially assigned to the duty.
“We found out that the policemen were on illegal duty. They were not properly deployed for that assignment,” Egbetokun stated, noting that their commanders had disowned them.
He vowed strict consequences for any officer found protecting criminals.
Egbetokun also highlighted that only specific individuals in society, such as certain employers and business figures, genuinely require police protection.
He noted that some officers not formally assigned had been found working as unauthorized escorts.
He warned that moving forward, officers acting on unauthorized assignments would face accountability, along with their commanders.