IGP’s Imprisonment: Nigerian police deny knowledge of court order reinstating dismissed officer
The Nigerian Police Force said the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, did not disregard court order or rule of law as the office was not aware of any court judgment which ordered the reinstatement of a dismissed officer of the Force.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, and posted on its verified Twitter handle on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, an Abuja Federal High Court sentenced the IGP to three months in prison for disobeying a court order directing the reinstatement of Patrick Okoli, a former officer who claimed he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the NPF.
READ ALSO: Abuja court sentences IGP to 3 months in prison
Reacting to the order of the court on Tuesday, Adejobi said the news was “strange and astonishing”.
According to the statement, “it is instructive to note that the case in point concerns an officer who was dismissed as far back as 1992, a few years after the current IGP joined the Nigeria Police Force, based on available facts gleaned from the reports.
“The most recent judgement on the matter was given in 2011 which should ordinarily not fall under the direct purview of the current administration of the Force. Thus, the news is strange and astonishing,” Adejobi said.
The statement reads: “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to state emphatically that the office of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, did not disregard court order or rule of law as the office is not aware of any court order, during the current IGP’s tenure, with respect to a matter making the round in the media that the IGP disobeyed a court order for the reinstatement of a dismissed officer of the Force.
“It is instructive to note that the case in point concerns an officer who was dismissed as far back as 1992, a few years after the current IGP joined the Nigeria Police Force, based on available facts gleaned from the reports. The most recent judgement on the matter was given in 2011 which should ordinarily not fall under the direct purview of the current administration of the Force. Thus, the news is strange and astonishing.
“The IGP has however directed the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Force Legal Unit to investigate the allegation in a bid to ascertain the position of the court and profer informed legal advice for the IGP’s prompt and necessary action.
“The Inspector-General of Police reiterates his commitment to upholding the rule of law and synergizing with the judiciary to ensure quick dispensation of justice for an improved criminal justice system.”
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