The leadership of the Nigeria Police Force has been thrown into confusion following a fresh legal dispute as several senior officers have challenged their premature retirement at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
The suit, registered as NICN/ABJ/21M/2023, was brought before Hon. Justice O. A. Obaseki Osaghae by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Egong Egwu Egong, Edwin Okoro, and three others.
They claim that the Police Service Commission (PSC) wrongly calculated their service years based on a controversial circular, counting from their initial entry into the force instead of their admission date into the Police Academy.
In response to the suit, the police legal team has undertaken to maintain the “status quo” until a final decision is reached, effectively pausing the planned retirement of the senior officers.
This development has reportedly unsettled the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who had been preparing for their departure.
Earlier, the Industrial Court ruled that the officers’ service years should be determined from their academy entry date, and no appeal has been filed against the judgment.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Adeleke Agbola, representing the claimants, pressed the court to ensure strict adherence to its ruling.
“The judgment of the court is that the date is when the policemen got into the Academy. There is no appeal against the judgment. I urge the court that status quo be maintained pending the hearing of this committal proceeding to determine if there has been a breach on the basis that the judgment of the court must be obeyed,” Agbola emphasized.
On the other hand, Ade Adedeji SAN, counsel for the PSC, reassured the court that the commission was taking necessary steps to comply with the ruling.
He reiterated that the judgment remained unchallenged, making it binding.
“We have taken steps to obey the court’s judgment. The judgment is not challenged as there is no appeal. It is final. The circular has nothing to do with the claimants. It is without prejudice to the parties in this matter. We do not intend to do anything to overreach the court. We intend to comply with the judgment of the court and have sworn to the affidavit in this regard. All the claimants have been posted. I give an undertaking that all the defendants are law-abiding and will comply with the judgment, and the rule of law,” Adedeji assured.
Despite these assurances, Agbola urged the court to schedule a hearing on committal proceedings to determine whether there had been any violation of the judgment.
Following these submissions, the court adjourned the case to March 18, 2025, for a report on full compliance with the ruling or a hearing on the committal proceedings.
