Police Agree To Reinstate 92 Officers After Court Ruling
By Trek Africa Newspaper
The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed its decision to comply with a court ruling ordering the reinstatement of 92 officers who were compulsorily retired before reaching their official retirement age.
The officers, who were part of Courses 33, 34, and 35 of the Nigeria Police Academy, were dismissed in 2021 despite not completing 35 years of service or reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the officers took legal action, and in April 2022, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) ruled in their favor, directing their reinstatement.
However, the order was not immediately enforced, leading the affected officers to seek a contempt ruling against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Police Service Commission (PSC).
Following mounting pressure, the police authorities instructed the officers to report to Abuja in August 2024 for documentation, signaling a possible reinstatement. Despite completing the process, no further steps were taken, prompting renewed legal action.
During a committal proceeding at the NICN last week, the officers’ lawyer, Mr. Adeleke Agbola (SAN), urged the court to ensure the ruling was upheld.
“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, police counsel Mr. Ade Adedeji (SAN) assured the court that the judgment would be followed.
“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 stated.
