The Police Service Fee (PSC) has introduced why Inspector-Basic of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun isn’t affected by its latest determination directing all serving law enforcement officials who’ve accomplished 35 years of service or attained the age of 60 to proceed on rapid retirement.
The PSC weighed in on Monday, February 3, 2025, following widespread criticism and advocacy regarding the workplace of the present IGP, who had clocked 60 like his retiring colleagues.
Nairametrics reviews that human rights activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore is going through a case at a Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja over alleged cybercrime expenses instituted towards him by the Inspector-Basic of Police.
The police alleged that Sowore referred to Egbetokun as “the unlawful IG of the Nigeria Police Power” on his X (previously Twitter) web page and captioned the IGP’s image with:
“Mediocrity, incompetence, corruption—a rustic run by characterless individuals can not make progress.”
Upon arraignment final Thursday, January 30, 2025, Sowore denied the allegations of cybercrime, insisting in a press interview that the present IGP stays “unlawful” in his place.
Twenty-four hours later, on January 31, 2025, the Police Service Fee permitted the rapid retirement of senior law enforcement officials who had served for greater than 35 years or had been above 60 years of age, thereby sparking additional criticism of the IGP’s continued keep in workplace.
PSC Responds
The fee said, “that it doesn’t have the constitutional powers to find out the appointment or exit of the Inspector-Basic of Police.”
“The fee, at its 1st Extraordinary Assembly of the sixth Administration Board on Friday, thirty first January 2025, solely thought of and took a choice on the regularisation of the date of the primary appointment of cadet ASPs/Inspector Power entrants.
“This has nothing to do with the Inspector-Basic of Police or his workplace.
“The fee on the assembly passionately revisited its determination of twenty seventh and twenty eighth September 2017 and concluded that the sooner determination that Power entrants ought to have their cadet date of appointment within the Power towards the date of enlistment, in its intent and goal, contradicted the ideas of merger of service within the public service and was in violation of Public Service Rule No. 020908 (i & ii), which gives for retirement upon attaining 35 years in service or 60 years of age.”
“It, subsequently, put aside the sooner determination,” the PSC added.
Nairametrics reviews that Egbetokun was appointed as the brand new appearing IGP barely three months after the Police Service Fee permitted his appointment as a Deputy Inspector General of Police, representing the South West geopolitical zone.
Nevertheless, in an announcement, the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), on January 30, 2025, acknowledged that Egbetokun’s appointment, which took impact on October 31, 2023, would ordinarily have ended upon his attainment of 60 years of age on September 4, 2024.
Nevertheless, the AGF, who’s the chief regulation officer of the federal authorities, defined that earlier than Egbetokun’s retirement age, the Police Act was amended to permit the officeholder to finish the unique four-year time period granted beneath Part 7(6) of the Act, however his attainment of 60 years.
What this implies: The event additional deepens the discourse on the tenure of the present IGP. Related stakeholders are ready to listen to the court docket’s determination on the matter.