At the heart of the dispute is the promotion of the Force Public Relations Officer, Ben Hundeyin, who was advanced from Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), reportedly ahead of several more senior officers.
A fresh controversy has reportedly rocked the Nigeria Police Force, with allegations of a covert and irregular promotion exercise fueling renewed concerns about favoritism and institutional decline under the leadership of Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
At the heart of the dispute is the promotion of the Force Public Relations Officer, Ben Hundeyin, who was advanced from Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), reportedly ahead of several more senior officers.
On Tuesday, the Nigeria Police Force announced the promotion its Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Hundeyin, to the rank of ACP.
The promotion was approved on the recommendation of the IGP, Mr Egbetokun.
Hundeyin was appointed Force Public Relations Officer in 2025 as a CSP, succeeding Deputy Commissioner of Police Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
Sources within the force claim the promotion was carried out discreetly and outside established procedures, triggering widespread discontent among officers who felt sidelined.
The situation has been further complicated by allegations surrounding the promotion of a female officer, Gloria Obiageli Obakpolor, who was reportedly elevated from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) to Superintendent of Police (SP). Police insiders allege that her promotion was irregular and connected to a personal relationship with the Inspector-General dating back to his time as Commandant of the Police College in Lagos.
“Gloria was pilloried and vilified by the IGP’s paramour, Yemisi Bukola Kuti, who serves as PSO 3 in the IGP’s office and whose controversial promotion last year sent shockwaves through the police force,” a top police source said.
Gloria’s husband was reportedly dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force under circumstances that many observers attribute to the personal interests of Inspector-General of Police, Egbetokun.
Gloria is currently posted to the Budget Section at Police Headquarters, where she works as an accountant.
Sources further allege that her promotion has reignited internal rivalries within the force, coming on the heels of the controversial elevation of Bukola Kuti in 2025, an episode that unsettled Police Headquarters.
Observers say that development marked a turning point in the deepening crisis surrounding allegations of unethical leadership within the office of the IGP.
In response to sustained public scrutiny and investigative reports by SaharaReporters, the police hierarchy subsequently initiated multiple criminal cases against the platform’s publisher, Omoyele Sowore, including at least three cybercrime-related charges reportedly linked to coverage of alleged ethical breaches involving the IGP’s office.
Further intensifying the controversy, Ms. Obakpolor publicly announced her promotion on social media three days ago, stating that it had been backdated and asserting seniority over officers promoted in December.
The post circulated widely among police personnel, further fueling accusations of favoritism and procedural abuse.
As of press time, Police Headquarters had issued no official statement addressing the alleged secret promotions or the mounting internal discontent, even as calls grow for transparency, an independent review of recent promotion exercises, and accountability at the highest levels of the Nigeria Police Force.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that multiple insiders within the Nigeria Police Force disclosed that ACP Kuti experienced an unusually rapid rise through the ranks, advancing far ahead of her contemporaries, many of whom remain at the level of Superintendent of Police (SP).
Sources said her swift promotion sparked resentment within the Force, with some officers attributing her advancement to an alleged romantic relationship with the IGP Egbetokun.
The situation reportedly intensified after SaharaReporters exposed growing unease and internal tensions among senior officers over the circumstances surrounding her promotion.