The Police Service Commission (PSC) has
clarified misleading information in some quarters that have trailed the
retirement of senior officers including the Inspector-General of Police, Usman
Alkali Baba, adding “we did not approve of any tenure elongation.
The PSC stated that many of these senior officers are due for
retirement in the next few weeks.
The PSC during a meeting on January 23, discussed the emerging
reports of senior officers, due for retirement as well as those making moves to
extend their stay in office, on the ground that their departure would affect
the forthcoming election.
The commission noted that the ongoing campaign was among
officers within the ranks of the Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), Assistant
Inspectors General (AIGs), Commissioners, CPs and other senior Police Officers.
Ikechukwu Ani, the PSC Spokesperson, described the situation in
a statement on Sunday as “an unnecessary distraction and an affront on all the
existing laws in the country guiding entry and exit in the public service”.
The Commission decided that it would not extend the tenures of
the retiring senior Police Officers stressing that even when requested, it
cannot do so as it is against all existing laws, Police Act, PSC Act and the
nation’s constitution.
Ani also debunked reports that the commission had approved the
elongation of the IGP’s tenure as speculated by some media organisations.
“The Commission, therefore, wishes to state that it has not
endorsed any tenure elongation for the current Inspector General of Police.
“It notes that it will always commit itself to the letters and
spirit of the laws of the land and will not at any time support or encourage
any attempt to subvert these laws,” the PSC said in a separate statement.
Ani further noted that the Police have capable personnel who
should be encouraged to step into the vacancies that would be created by the
exiting officers because the Force has an institutional succession plan.
The Commission assured Nigerians that there will be no vacuum in
the hierarchy of the Police with the retirement of hundreds of senior Police
Officers, the injection of 10,000 Constables and thousands of cadet ASPs from
the Police Academy every year.
“It took a decision to
rigidly uphold the provisions of the law which stipulates that a serving public
Officer, whether in the Police or in any other Government Agency, must exit the
service at the age of 60 or having served for a period of 35 years,” the
statement said.
The Commission said it would not encourage the subversion of the
laws guiding entry and exit into the Nigeria Public Service, adding that the
retiring senior Police Officers are not indispensable and that their exit would
not in any way affect the success of the 2023 general elections.
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