Akin Fakorede, a Commissioner of Police and former head of the monitoring unit under the Nigeria Police Force, has been placed on mandatory leave and is expected to resume after 40 days as Commissioner of Police in charge of Research.
According to police sources, Fakorede was directed to proceed on leave following his removal as head of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. He will reportedly return after the leave period to assume a new role overseeing research within the police structure.
The development follows an earlier report that Fakorede had been replaced at the monitoring unit by Aliyu Abubakar, a Deputy Commissioner of Police who has now been posted to lead the unit, also known as the Police Mobile Unit monitoring team.
Sources within the police said the decision was approved by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu. Fakorede had been appointed to head the monitoring unit in December 2024 by the then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
His appointment at the time sparked criticism from human rights groups, who raised concerns over allegations linked to his time as a commander of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Civil society organisations argued that the accusations of brutality, extrajudicial killings, and election-related misconduct during his earlier service could affect public confidence in the monitoring unit.
Fakorede’s tenure also drew controversy following a dispute at River Park Estate, where he was accused of bias in a land conflict involving Ghanaian investors. In January 2026, operatives under the monitoring unit were also alleged to have clashed with journalists and workers during a protest at the estate.
In September 2025, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, publicly criticised Fakorede during an interview on Channels Television, accusing him of a history of brutality and interference in elections, particularly during Wike’s tenure as governor of Rivers State.
Wike claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission had previously written to the police to prevent Fakorede from participating in election duties due to those concerns.
The police officer was also linked to a controversial investigation involving Jesam Michael, chief executive officer of Afriq Arbitrage System (AAS), a platform accused of operating a large-scale Ponzi scheme.
Investigations indicated that the platform allegedly defrauded tens of thousands of investors, with reports suggesting that around $1.6 billion was traced to digital wallets connected to the scheme.
Police sources alleged that Fakorede repeatedly dismissed evidence against Michael during the investigation, insisting on the businessman’s innocence despite accusations that the platform facilitated hundreds of thousands of suspicious transactions.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the latest administrative action against Fakorede is connected to any of the controversies surrounding his tenure.
