The Nigeria Police Force has expressed its readiness to comply with the National Industrial Court of Nigeria ruling concerning the reinstatement of 92 officers who were forcefully retired before reaching the statutory retirement age.
The officers, drawn from Course 33, 34, and 35 of the Nigeria Police Academy, were compulsorily retired in 2021 despite not attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60 or completing 35 years of service.
Displeased with the decision, the officers sought redress in court.
In April 2022, the NICN ruled in their favour and directed their reinstatement. However, the Inspector General of Police, the Police Service Commission and the Secretary of the Police Force allegedly failed to implement the judgment.
Frustrated by the lack of compliance, the officers returned to court to seek a contempt order against the IGP for disobeying the ruling.
Subsequently, the police summoned the affected officers to report in Abuja for documentation in August 2024, which was perceived as a step towards reinstatement. But no further action followed the documentation process.
During a recent committal proceeding at the NICN, the officers’ legal representative, Mr. Adeleke Agbola (SAN), urged the court to enforce its earlier judgment while the contempt application was being heard.
Agbola raised concerns about a new PSC circular calculating the officers’ service years from their initial date of entry into the police force instead of their academy entry date, contrary to the court’s directive.
“This is a contempt proceeding. Some urgent issues have arisen since we filed this application. The PSC issued a circular stating that the officers’ initial date of entry into the police force—not their entry into the academy—would be used to calculate their service years. However, the court had ruled that their service years should be calculated from their academy entry date. There is no appeal against this judgment. I urge the court to maintain the status quo until the committal proceedings determine whether there has been a breach of the judgment,” Agbola argued.
In response, the Nigeria Police Force counsel, Mr. Ade Adedeji (SAN), assured the court that the police would fully comply with the judgment, emphasizing that no appeal had been filed against it.
“We have taken steps to obey the court’s judgment. There is no appeal against it; it is final. The circular in question does not affect the claimants and does not prejudice any party in this matter. All the affected officers have been posted. I give an undertaking that the police will comply with the judgment and uphold the rule of law,” Adedeji affirmed.
