By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, and his Force Secretary have come under severe criticism for non-compliance with a valid court order, which directed the immediate reinstatement of some senior police officers, who were forcefully retired from the Force.

This is even though their ASP counterparts are still in office.

Sources said the officers of Courses 33, 34 and 35 had, through a suit instituted by CSP Egwu Egwu, taken the IGP and Police Service Commission, PSC, to the Industrial Court on what they termed ‘illegal retirement without having attained the required 60 years of age or 35 years in service’, and the court held that they should be reinstated into the Force.

However, since September 2021 when the judgment was delivered by Justice O. O. Oyewunmi, the succeeding IGPs were said to have neglected or refused to abide by the court ruling and neither did they appeal against the judgment.

They noted that the Police Force and the PSC were being impartial, adding that some of their colleagues, which include the AIG, FCID Annex, Alagbon, Owohunwa Idowu; CP Ben Igwe; FCT Command CP, Peter Okpara; ACP Obo Ukam, and ACP Akpan Brown were beneficiaries of the court judgment and are still in the Force.

The court held that the decision of the Police Service Commission, in its plenary meeting in relation to the regularisation of the date of first appointment of all members of Courses 33, 34 and 35, is valid and subsisting and, therefore, stopped the plan or attempt to retire some of them who have not reached the mandatory retirement age of 60 years and who have not put in 35 years of pensionable service in the Force.

Incidentally, police authorities had implemented the earlier judgments of the same court involving other police officers, but for inexplicable reasons, bluntly refused to obey the judgment involving courses 33, 34 and 35.

It was gathered that the PSC has, through a letter dated January 22, 2022, written to the IGP for compliance and nothing had been done in this regard.

Investigations showed that cadet ASPs and cadet Inspectors who were offered appointments into the Force, were briefed that the dates stated in their letters of appointments shall be their first day in the Force.

Both cadres were trained together and passed out same date at Police Academy, Wudil, Kano. However, upon completion of the cadet courses, both of the cadres were denied their appointment dates. This prompted the ASP cadre to proceed to court, and received the judgment directing the Police Service Commission and the IGP to ratify their dates of appointments to read what was stated in their appointment letters, and the Police authorities complied.

The Inspectors went for documentation with the ASPs but were denied the opportunity and, subsequent upon this development, the Cadet Inspectors cadre proceeded to court as well and gained the same favourable judgment, but the Police authorities refused to comply with the court order, even when the Police Service Commission, under the leadership of Mr. A. K. Smith, wrote twice to the Force to implement the judgment.

Contacted through a text message, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, simply replied: “I need to advise them to be patient. Let them send representatives to meet with the police hierarchy to discuss the matter mutually. I don’t know if they have briefed the present IGP and Force Secretary, including our legal department. Nobody has any personal interest in their case, and nobody will deny them their rights and privileges.

On his part, the spokesman, Police Service Commission, Ikechukwu Ani said: “Please reach out to the Force PRO for a response to this inquiry. I am obviously not in a proper picture of this matter.”