EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Police IG Egbetokun Battles Kidney Condition, Struggles With Office Demands | Sahara Reporters
Multiple sources disclosed to the outlet that Egbetokun has been struggling with the aftermath of a kidney transplant he underwent several years ago while serving as a Chief Superintendent of Police.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is battling health challenges linked to a kidney condition, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Multiple sources disclosed to the outlet that Egbetokun has been struggling with the aftermath of a kidney transplant he underwent several years ago while serving as a Chief Superintendent of Police.
The sources attributed the strain of his current role and the fact that he functions with a single kidney as contributing factors to his declining health.
Due to his condition, Egbetokun is said to limit his time at the Force Headquarters, typically arriving around 1 p.m. and leaving early.
According to sources, he is more active during the night hours, working from a home-based setup that includes a makeshift clinic.
In March, SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that mounting pressure on President Bola Tinubu to remove Egbetokun, amid dissatisfaction within the police force over his leadership, prevented the IGP from embarking on a scheduled trip to the United Kingdom.
The trip, which was billed as an international security conference, was also expected to offer him an opportunity to receive medical care abroad.
SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that the UK visit was cancelled amid the political sensitivity surrounding his continued tenure, thereby forcing the IGP to forgo both the conference and the planned medical consultation.
“The police IG, Egbetokun, is suffering from kidney issues. Just as SaharaReporters reported sometime ago, he once had a kidney transplant,” a source said.
“So he is mostly active at night, working from a makeshift clinic at his residence.”
SaharaReporters also reported in March that Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Idegwu Basil Okuoma, formerly Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone 14, Katsina, was being considered as a possible replacement for IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
In a letter dated March 4, 2025, Egbetokun formally sought President Bola Tinubu’s approval to attend the Government Global Security Event on Home Office Security and Policing 2025, scheduled to take place in London from March 11 to 13, 2025.
In the letter, Egbetokun cited an invitation from the Deputy Defence Adviser at the British High Commission and described the event as a vital platform to enhance international law enforcement cooperation and address internal and transnational security threats.
He also indicated that Deputy Inspector-General Frank Mba would oversee police operations in his absence. However, President Tinubu reportedly declined the request, preventing Egbetokun from travelling to the UK.
“Tinubu is under immense pressure to replace Egbetokun, and this has left him panicking because his position as IGP is uncertain,” a top government source told SaharaReporters in March.
“The IGP has also recently been struggling with health issues due to stress. He functions with a single kidney after undergoing a kidney replacement a few years ago when he was a CSP.
"These health challenges have affected his work schedule—he now arrives at the office around 1 p.m. and leaves early due to his condition. His request to travel to the UK was rejected by the President, who reportedly viewed it as inappropriate to seek medical treatment in London,” the source added.
The recent forced retirement of senior officers in the Nigeria Police Force had weakened confidence in Egbetokun’s leadership, fuelled by allegations of discrimination and disregard for court orders concerning the retirement process.
In March 2024, several senior officers had accused IGP Egbetokun of discrimination for failing to reinstate colleagues who were forcibly retired before reaching the mandatory retirement age or completing 35 years of service, despite a court ruling in their favour.
The situation worsened in January 2025 when Egbetokun ordered an investigation into senior officers accused of falsifying their service records to prolong their tenure.
Critics argue that he intentionally delayed the probe until after securing an extension of his own tenure, raising doubts about his impartiality.
These developments likely contributed to the growing lack of confidence in Egbetokun’s leadership among members of the Force.
