Some police officers have renewed their appeal to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in their alleged forceful retirement from the Nigeria Police Force, calling for the enforcement of an existing judgment of the National Industrial Court (NIC) which ordered their reinstatement.
The affected officers, members of Courses 33, 34, and 35 (Force Entrants) of the Police Academy, said they were compulsorily retired despite not having attained the mandatory 35 years in service. They subsequently challenged the decision at the National Industrial Court.
In a judgment delivered on 19 April 2022, Justice Oyewumi Oyebiola ordered the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, and the Force Secretary to reinstate the officers. The Court also restrained the authorities from compulsorily retiring them. However, more than three years after the ruling, the officers said the judgment has yet to be implemented.
In a letter addressed to President Tinubu and made available to journalists on Wednesday by their lawyer, Mr. Adetoye Adejola, the officers appealed for presidential intervention, citing what they described as persistent disobedience of the court order by police authorities.
The petition, titled Re: Petition on Non-Implementation of the Judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/281/2021, urged the President to order the immediate recall of the affected officers in the interest of effective policing and internal security.
Adejola said the police authorities had stopped paying salaries to some of the officers, while others were either forcefully retired or left without duty postings, despite the subsisting court judgment in their favour.
He commended President Tinubu for his recent directive withdrawing police officers attached to VIPs nationwide, but argued that the Force could still benefit from the experience of the allegedly retired officers.
“The recent directive to redeploy officers attached to VIPs towards frontline crime-fighting and community policing makes it necessary to draw attention to the plight of these senior officers who were retired unlawfully,” the petition stated.
According to Adejola, many of the officers remain physically fit and possess extensive operational and leadership experience, which could strengthen policing efforts at a time of heightened insecurity.
He urged the President to direct the immediate enforcement of the NIC judgment and order the officers’ return to active service, describing such action as a demonstration of commitment to justice, fairness, and professionalism within the Nigeria Police Force.
