By Asaye Bankole
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has removed Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi from his position as the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State for initiating an investigation into a violent attack on June 12 protesters in Akure.
Police sources at Force Headquarters in Abuja told Journalists that Afolabi’s removal was also linked to his decision to grant audience to human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and other protesters who visited the state police headquarters to report the assault.
A police wireless message dated June 24, 2025 and obtained by Journalists showed that the IGP had approved the posting of three senior police officers, including Afolabi, to various commands and formations across the country.
According to the memo, Afolabi has been reassigned as the Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration at the Department of Training and Development (DTD), Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The department oversees the planning, coordination, and implementation of training programmes and career development initiatives for police officers.
SaharaReporters gathered that Afolabi has been replaced in Ondo State by Adebowale Lawal, who previously served as the Commissioner of Police, Quartermaster, at the Force Headquarters.
The protesters, who were commemorating Nigeria’s Democracy Day, were attacked by thugs led by Gbenga Aluko, a known political enforcer with a violent history. Aluko, who was previously sentenced to death in Ekiti State, is said to have mobilised a gang of cultists and members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) to violently disrupt the peaceful demonstration that began around 7:30 a.m. at Cathedral Junction in Akure.
One police source said Afolabi was removed after his investigation reportedly began implicating top state actors.
“Wilfred Afolabi was removed when he began investigating those behind the attack, which implicated the governor and his Chief Security Officer (CSO) in funding the OPC operative from Ekiti who had once been sentenced to death,” the source disclosed.
Another source at the Force Headquarters revealed that Egbetokun was also displeased with Afolabi for granting audience to Sowore, who led a delegation to lodge a formal complaint over the June 12 attack and the alleged complicity of police officers.
“The IGP was furious that Afolabi even gave Sowore the time of day to lodge complaints instead of dispersing the protesters with tear gas or turning him away outright,” the source said.
According to the insider, the IGP had initially ordered that Afolabi’s removal letter be drafted, and some officers at the headquarters saw the document. However, the decision was temporarily reversed.
“The removal letter had already been typed; some of us saw it. But later, we heard at the headquarters that the matter had been dropped and that the IGP had shelved the plan. But last week, the directive was revived, and now Afolabi has officially been removed as Ondo State Commissioner of Police,” the source added.
Attack On June 12 Protesters In Ondo
On June 12, Democracy Day, Sowore accused the police of colluding with thugs to violently disrupt a peaceful protest in Akure, Ondo State.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, condemned the attack as a deliberate attempt to silence pro-democracy voices.
“We just witnessed a disturbing incident here in Ondo State—thugs and policemen working together to attack pro-democracy activists during a peaceful protest. We saw them with our own eyes. The police were clearly collaborating with the thugs as they beat up protesters. It was very, very sad,” Sowore said in a video.
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