The Head of Chambers, Legal Section of the Nigeria Police Force, Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Lough has denied the allegation of backdating his police records to delay his retirement levelled against him by a civil society group, The Integrity Youth Alliance.
Lough, subsequently demanded a retraction of the libellous report published by Trojan Insight News and Sahara Reporters Media Group.
This was contained in a letter dated January 24, 2025, written by his lawyer, Adeleke Agboola, SAN, and addressed to The Integrity Youth Alliance, Trojan Insight News and Sahara Reporters.
The letter partly read, “We are instructed by DCP Simon Lough, SAN, the first police officer in Nigeria elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2021, and we have his instructions to write this letter.
‘’Our client’s attention has been drawn to the above-referenced story which has been published by different online media houses, like the TROJAN INSIGHT which tagged the defamatory statement thus:“SIMON LOUGH, NIGERIA POLICE LEGAL HEAD, OTHERS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR BACKDATING RECORDS TO DELAY RETIREMENT.
“Published online on the 19th January 2025 via https:/trojaninsights.com/simon-lough-nigeria-police-legal-head-others: under-investigation-for-backdating-records-to-delay-retirement.
“The Sahara Reporters also headlined the defamatory statement as: ‘Simon Lough, Nigeria Police Legal Head, Others Under Investigation For Backdating records To Delay Retirement’ via https://saharareporters.com/2025/01/19/simon-lough-nigeria-police-legal-head-others-under-investigation-backdating-records.
‘’It is our client’s express instruction that the above-captioned story as it relates to him at the material time is false. Our client was born on 14th May 1969 and joined the Police as a Cadet ASP on the 10th of May, 2000.
“Our client was never enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on January 8, 1987, and therefore could not have retired on January 8, 2022, as maliciously published by you, with the intention to besmirch his reputation.
“You published the defamatory and injurious story against our client without seeking his side of the story in accordance with the media principle and ethical responsibility of news balancing.
‘’Thus, DCP Simon Lough has requested a retraction of the defamatory statement made against him wherein he was listed among the police personnel engaged in the unethical practice of backdating their history records.’’
