Some aggrieved police officers have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to comply with a judgment of the National Industrial Court (NIC) ordering their reinstatement after an alleged forceful and premature retirement from service.
The affected officers are members of Courses 33, 34, and 35 (Force Entrants) of the Police Academy, who joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1996, 1999, and 2000, respectively.
The officers had approached the NIC to challenge their compulsory retirement before attaining the statutory 35 years in service.
In a judgment delivered on April 19, 2022, Justice Oyewumi Oyebiola ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Force Secretary to reinstate the affected officers.
The court also restrained the defendants from compulsorily retiring them.
However, nearly three years after the judgment, the officers said the police authorities were yet to comply with the order.
However, in a letter addressed to President Tinubu and made available to the Nation in Akure, Ondo state capital, on Wednesday by their lawyer, Mr Adetoye Adejola, the officers appealed to the President to intervene and ensure the implementation of the court judgment.
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 between CSP Egong Egwu Egong & 3 Ors Vs. Police Service Commission & 2 Ors delivered on 19th April 2022, and a call to save the souls of members of Courses 33, 34, and 35 (Force Entrants) of the Police Academy.”
The officers said that despite the judgment, the police authorities allegedly stopped the payment of salaries to the officers, forced some into retirement, and rendered others still in service redundant by failing to assign them duties.
Commending President Tinubu for his recent directive withdrawing police officers attached to VIPs and redeploying them to frontline policing, they argued that the reinstated officers could help bridge manpower gaps in the force.
“These officers, many of whom are still agile and possess extensive operational and leadership experience, remain valuable assets to the nation,” the letter said.
The officers appealed to the president to order the immediate enforcement of the NIC judgment and recall the affected officers to service, particularly at a time of heightened insecurity across the country.
