The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), said, it has filed an appeal to overturn the ruling of the National Industrial Court to reinstate some retired officers of the Force.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said, the judgment, which has been appealed and filed by its legal team, was inconsistent with the provisions of the Public Service Rules on the basis for retirement from public service.
TheFact Daily recalls that that the National Industrial Court presided over by Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi, had on April 19, 2022, asked the IG, the Police Service Commission, and the Force Secretary to reinstate some officers who were retired from service.
The affected persons later called for the sack and imprisonment of the Inspector-General, IG, and the Force Secretary for failing to obey the court order that reinstated them, having been forcefully retired from service before the age of 60 and less than 35 years in service.
Adejobi, giving reasons for the appeal filed by the Force, explained that the said retired police officers joined the Nigeria Police Force as recruit constables in 1984 and 1986 respectively. Having served for ten years and over, they were privileged to be admitted as Force Entrants into Cadet Inspector Courses 33, 34, and 35 of the Nigeria Police Academy in 1994, 1996, and 2000 respectively, however, not on a fresh appointment.
“Essentially, this implies that the service duration of such officers continues counting and does not automatically restart. Therefore, according to the Public Service Rules, the retired officers, having served in the public service and received salaries as required by law, cannot insist on remaining in service beyond the legally permitted period. Consequently, the purported call for their reinstatement is strange to the law and unrealistic”, he said, describing the retired personnels’ call for the IG’s sack and imprisonment as “baseless, malicious, and mischievous”.
While disclosing that the motion filed by the Force was currently in court awaiting a hearing and subsequent judgment on the appeal, the Force spokesman gave assurances of the continued commitment of the Force to entrenching respect for the rule of law both within the policing system and in the discharge of policing services to the general public.
