Some police officers at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Alagbon, Lagos, have expressed concern over an alleged leadership crisis involving the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of the FCID, Mrs. Margaret Ochalla, and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) overseeing the FCID Annex, Lagos, Simeon Udofia Akpanudom.
The officers, who spoke anonymously, called on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to urgently intervene, warning that the reported disagreement could negatively affect discipline and morale within the department.
The development follows reports alleging that Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ngozi Braide, who is said to be on special duty at the FCID Headquarters in Abuja, had abandoned her duties at the FCID Annex in Lagos.
According to an earlier report attributed to concerned officers at Alagbon, ACP Braide had allegedly been absent from her duty post for several months and was said to have embarked on an unauthorized foreign trip. The report urged the Inspector-General to investigate the circumstances surrounding her alleged absence.
However, another group of officers at the FCID Annex has dismissed the allegations, insisting that ACP Braide is officially deployed to the FCID Headquarters in Abuja on the directive of the DIG, where she works directly under the DIG’s supervision.
The officers alleged that the AIG had repeatedly questioned ACP Braide’s deployment despite being informed of her official assignment.
According to them, the DIG had communicated ACP Braide’s deployment to the FCID Headquarters to the AIG through official channels.
The officers further alleged that rather than routing concerns through the established chain of command, the AIG had forwarded reports directly to the Force Headquarters, an action they described as a breach of police administrative procedures.
They also claimed that the alleged actions were aimed at damaging ACP Braide’s professional reputation and creating friction within the FCID leadership.
“We understand that ACP Braide is on official special duty at the FCID Headquarters in Abuja under the direct supervision of the DIG. The chain of command should be respected, and any concerns should be addressed through the appropriate administrative process,” one of the officers said.
The officers questioned what they described as the growing tension between the two senior officers, arguing that such disagreements could undermine discipline within the Nigeria Police Force.
They appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the matter and restore harmony within the FCID.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters nor AIG Simeon Udofia Akpanudom had publicly responded to the allegations. Likewise, there was no official statement from the office of the DIG, FCID, regarding the claims.
The allegations remain unverified, and no official findings have been released by the Nigeria Police Force.
