Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Rhoda Adetutu Olofu, has refuted a recent report by an online publication, Sahara Reporters, which alleged that she was discharged from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over allegations of age falsification and service rule violations.
In a strongly worded statement released on Monday, DIG Olofu described the report as false, malicious, and an attempt to tarnish her legacy after 35 years of dedicated service to the nation.
“I was never discharged from the Nigeria Police Force. I retired honourably after completing 35 years of service, as required by law. The suggestion that I was removed due to age falsification is completely untrue and deeply unfortunate,” she stated.
Olofu, who joined the Nigeria Police on March 3, 1990, at the age of 24, said she had graduated from the University of Ilorin in 1986 and trained at the Police Academy in Kaduna. She rose through the ranks, serving in multiple strategic departments including Establishment, Logistics and Supply, Training and Development, and the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), among others.
She was eventually appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police and served as Force Secretary at the Force Headquarters before her retirement in 2025. Notably, she became the first female DIG from Northern Nigeria, a historic milestone in the history of the NPF.
“As of my retirement, I had not reached the age of 60. The service rule is clear — retirement occurs at either 60 years of age or 35 years of service, whichever comes first. In my case, I had completed the required years of service. My record remains unblemished,” she emphasized.
DIG Olofu thanked the Nigeria Police Force for the opportunity to serve and urged the public to disregard what she described as “a gross misrepresentation of facts.”
