Hakeem Gbadamosi – Akure
Some dismissed Police officers have dragged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba, before National Industrial Court (NIC) asking the court to commit him to prison for “disobeying court order”, calling for their reinstatement back into service.
The officer who were forcefully retired have asked the IGP, the Police Service Commission (PSC) and Force Secretary to show reasons they should not be committed to prison over their refusal to reinstate them after the court order.
The Officers through their Counsel, Godwin Okoro, have stated that they were forcefully retired from the force despite the court judgment, ordering the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission not to forcefully retire them as they have not spent 60 years or spent 35 years in service.
The aggrieved Police Officers in a statement signed by Emmanuel Idris, on behalf of other Concerned officers, and made available to journalists in Akure, Ondo state capital, explained that they were forcefully retired from the force despite the court judgment, saying the IGP and other relevant authorities had failed to obey the court judgment.
Idris, in the statement, said the court has delivered the judgment in April 2022 and the defendants were yet to implement the judgment, which was delivered by Justice Oyewumi Oyebiola of the NICN.
The statement read, “We are members and graduates of Course 33, 34 and 35 of the Police Academy, we were forcefully retired from the force when we were yet to attain the age of 60years and some were retired when they were yet to spend 35years in the police force.
“We approached the National Industrial Court, Abuja to challenge the action of the force against us and the court presided over by Hon. Justice Oyewumi Oyebiola gave an order that we should be reinstated but to our surprise, the police authority has not obeyed the court judgment up till today.
“It could be noted that the police took action against us because of the issue on our date of first appointment and the issue has been cleared by the court and there was no appeal on the court judgment.
“Incidentally the Police authority had implemented the earlier judgments of the same court involved other police officers, but for inexplicable reasons, the authority refused bluntly to obey the judgment.”
According to him, the Industrial Court presided by Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi had in suit No. NICN/ABJ/281/2021 filed by Messrs Egong Egwu Egong, Omeh Felix Okechukwu, Paul Obot Umoh and Galadima Bello had approached the court seeking an order to nullify their retirement from service by the Nigeria Police Force and the Police service Commission PSC.
They prayed the court that the IGP and the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Force Secretary of the Police should reinstate them after being forcefully retired from office.
The court consequently restrained the defendants; the IGP, the PSC and the Force Secretary of the Nigeria Police from retiring the officers compulsorily.
But the defendants said since April 19, 2022, when the judgment was delivered, the IGP and other defendants were yet to obey the court order which stated that officers of courses who joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1996, 1999 and 2000 should be reinstated.
In form 87 filed by the retired police officers, asking the IGP and other defendants to appear in person to show cause why an order for their committal should not be made for disobedience to the order reinstating officers of courses 33, 34 and 35 who graduated from police academy between 1996 and 2000.
In a copy of the letter addressed to Usman Alkali Baba, signed by the court registrar, Mrs Rufai Zainab Ahmed, dated January 23, 2023, warned IGP and other defendants against disobeying court judgment or face the consequences which is imprisonment.
The notice read; “Take Notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the Certificate of Judgment of Court dated the 19th day of April 2022 you will be guilty of contempt of Court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
