The Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has removed Adebowale Lawal as Commissioner of Police in Ondo State.

Lawal, who was confirmed as the 46th Commissioner of Police in the state in June 2025 and recently led several security operations, including a crackdown on cult groups in May 2026, has reportedly been replaced.

He has now been succeeded by senior police officer, Ohagwu Felix Ndukwe, as the new Commissioner of Police in Ondo State.

Lawal assumed office in June 2025 following the redeployment of Wilfred Afolabi as Ondo State Police Commissioner.

Afolabi was removed by then-IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, after initiating an investigation into a violent attack on June 12 protesters in Akure.

Police sources at Force Headquarters in Abuja told SaharaReporters 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.

However, Lawal’s tenure quickly became mired in controversy. SaharaReporters learnt that an exclusive report exposing allegations by his subordinates, that he demanded a monthly levy of N2 million from them, was the final nail in his coffin.

In September 2025, SaharaReporters reported that Lawal had come under fire over the alleged practice, which reportedly placed immense financial and psychological pressure on police officers across the command.

Multiple sources within the Ondo State Police Command revealed that the commissioner had created a system of compulsory remittances running into millions of naira every month. Some officers claimed the scheme had already contributed to the death of a senior officer.

One source disclosed that Lawal had placed heavy financial demands on his subordinates, reportedly “requiring remittances running as high as one to two million naira monthly."

The source further explained that the excessive financial obligations had dire consequences on officers tasked with meeting the demands.

Another senior police source corroborated the allegations, stressing that the pressure on officers had claimed a tragic victim.

It was revealed that CSP Nimrod Anaka, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Kajola Police Station in Odigbo Local Government Area, died from high blood pressure allegedly aggravated by the incessant financial demands placed on officers.

His death reportedly sparked quiet outrage within the Ondo State Police Command. However, SaharaReporters learnt that many officers were reluctant to go public with their grievances, fearing reprisals from superiors.

As one officer confided, SaharaReporters gathered that personnel were “deeply distressed but remain too fearful to speak up openly.”

In March, a group of clerics in Ondo accused the state police command, including then-Commissioner Lawal, of extorting N2 million from them.

The pastors were identified as Olarewaju Fadahunsi, Gbadura Marvelous, Arijesulola Kayode, along with two others named Tijani and Kolade.

According to findings by SaharaReporters, the pastors were arrested on February 11, 2026, at Saint Paul Anglican Church in Odode-Idanre by a police team said to be directly under CP Lawal and led by Inspector Sunday Aluko.

Aluko reportedly arrived with about 16 officers in three Toyota Hilux vehicles. The team allegedly stormed the church premises, arrested the clerics, and transported them to the state police headquarters, where they were detained for several days.

One of the pastors told SaharaReporters that they were treated like criminals under the commissioner’s supervision. The clerics further alleged that they were later brought before CP Adebowale, who threatened to “secretly kill them if they refused to cooperate with his men.”

One of them said, "After removing us from the cell on the fourth day, we were taken to the CP’s office to see him. When we got there, he was angry that our family friend had reported him in Abuja.

“He then threatened us that he could kill us secretly and no one would challenge him, that our bodies would be shown to Nigerians as kidnappers killed during an ambush.

"But now that those in Abuja were aware, he still had the power to send us to prison and parade us as fraudsters. So one of us asked him why we were arrested and was there any petition written against us for us to be treated like criminals, and that if he was accusing us of organising a fake miracle, then there must be victims of those we had defrauded or used to scam people in the past.

"And moreover, the crusade hadn’t started; does it mean the police just arrest people because they think they are criminals without any investigation or evidence? This made the CP angry and said his authority was being challenged.

"After that, he handed us over to one CSP Emmanuel Oluyemi Fabiyi and told us to cooperate with him."

The clergyman further stated that they left the Police commissioner’s office after being advised to “settle” and cooperate with the officers to avoid further trouble.

He explained that while they waited at the reception, CSP Emmanuel Oluyemi Fabiyi and Inspector Leke Aluko remained inside for a private discussion with the commissioner. When the officers eventually emerged, they were followed out, and CSP Fabiyi informed them that the commissioner had been “magnanimous” and had only demanded ₦6,000,000.

He said, "So we started calling, but we couldn’t raise such an amount, so we were returned to the cell till the following day, which was on a Friday.

“Then we told the CSP we were only able to raise N2,000,000, but he flared up, saying the N2,000,000 was too small for the CP and he wouldn’t collect it, that we should try and raise more. That even his position might be affected as the CP might find him not capable."

The pastor said the senior police officer returned to their cell after a few hours and asked them to bring the money as he claimed to have appealed to the police commissioner on their behalf.

They were subsequently introduced to a woman operating a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, through whom they transferred N2,000,000 into a MoniePoint account (No. 5681743272) registered under the name Mama Shade Ventures.

"They were the ones who called the woman and asked her if she had N2,000,000 cash. And if she didn’t, she should quickly arrange for it. It’s clear the POS lady was working with them,” he said.

"So they asked two policemen to follow the wife of one of us who had the money in her account to the POS woman, whose shop is in front of FUTA in Akure, to collect the cash. The woman even boasted to her that she still took cash of N4.5 million to the CP office herself three days earlier and that the CP wouldn’t take a transfer."

The POS lady, in a recorded conversation with the wife of one of the arrested pastors, which was made available to SaharaReporters, was heard saying in Yoruba, "It’s cash they will take from me; you know the CP is aware of the case, so I need to go with cash. So do you expect me to transfer directly to the CP? It’s cash that will be taken to the CP."

SaharaReporters learnt that the pastors were released after paying N2,000,000, with an additional N300,000 allegedly paid separately to Inspector Leke Aluko as “fuel allowance”.

They were, however, re-arrested days later, and their cars were impounded after their lawyer wrote a petition to the police headquarters.