We Have Not Approved Tenure Elongation For Current IGP, Others — PSC

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.

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 (NOT THE WHISTLER).

“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.