The leadership of the Nigerian Police Force has criticized calls by some former officers for the dismissal and imprisonment of the IGP, Usman Alkali Baba.
After a court order for their reinstatement was allegedly disregarded by the police authority, the retired policemen made the call.
Recall that in April 2022, several former police officers petitioned the National Industrial Court to overturn their retirement decision, and the court ruled in their favor.
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, referred to the call for the IGP’s dismissal based on the said ruling as “baseless and malicious” in a statement on Thursday.
“The said judgment, which has been appealed in suit number: NICN/AB/21M/2023 filed by the Nigeria Police legal team on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, is inconsistent with the provisions of the Public Service Rules on the basis for retirement from public service. The case is currently in court awaiting a hearing and subsequent judgment on the appeal.
“For the record, the aforementioned retired police officers joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1984 and 1986, respectively, as recruit constables. They had the good fortune to be accepted as Force Entrants into Cadet Inspector Courses 33, 34, and 35 of the Nigeria Police Academy in 1994, 1996, and 2000, respectively, after serving for ten years or more.
It is important to remember that the Nigeria Police Force’s “Force Entrant” program does not constitute a new appointment, but rather an upgrade to a higher cadre for deserving officers with the required academic records following a brief training session at the Police Academy or at any other approved Police College.
In essence, this means that the clock does not stop ticking and the officers’ service time is still being calculated.
Therefore, in accordance with the Public Duty Rules, retired officers cannot insist on continuing in service after the legally permissible period has passed after serving in the public service and receiving the requisite salary.
The statement said, in part, “Therefore, the supposed appeal for their readmission is odd to the law and impractical.”
The Nigeria Police Force has submitted a plea for a stay of execution until the appeal is scheduled for hearing at the Court’s convenience, the police spokesman emphasized.
“The Nigeria Police hereby appeals to the public to disregard reports that have been widely disseminated in the media demanding for the dismissal of the IGP on the aforementioned grounds because they are unfounded, malicious, and maliciously mischievous.
The Nigeria Police assures the public of its ongoing dedication to upholding the rule of law both inside the policing system and in the provision of policing services to the general public, according to Adejobi.
