Aggrieved retired police officers, have asked the National Industrial Court (NIC) to commit the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba, to prison for disobedience to the court which ordered they’re reinstated.
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, asked the IGP, the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Force Secretary of the Police to reinstate the officers who were forcefully retired from office.
They had through their counsel, Mr Godwin Okoro, approached the National Industrial Court, seeking an order to nullify their retirement from service by the Nigeria Police Force and the Police service Commission PSC.
Consequently, the court restrained the defendants; the IGP, the PSC and the Force Secretary of the Nigeria Police from retiring the officers compulsorily.
However, since April 19, 2022, when the judgment was delivered, the IGP and other defendants were yet to obey the court order reinstating the officers who joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1996, 1999 and 2000.
Okoro, asked the IGP, the Police Service Commission (PSC) and Force Secretary to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for their refusal to obey a court order that reinstated the officers who were forcefully retired from service when they have not spent 35 in service or attained 60 years of age.
In form 87 filed by the retired police officers, they asked 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, and dated January 23, 2023, warned IGP and other defendants against disobeying court judgment or face the consequences which are 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.”
Meanwhile, the aggrieved police officers in a statement yesterday said they were forcefully retired from the force despite the court judgment, ordering the Nigeria police force and the Police Service Commission not to retire them when some of them have not reached the 60years and some were yet to spend 35years in the force.
The statement issued by one of the aggrieved officers, Mr Emmanuel Idris, on behalf of other concerned officers said the IGP was yet to obey the judgment to restate them into the force.
Idris said that the court had 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 the 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.
He said that ” Incidentally the police authority had implemented the earlier judgments of the same court involving other police officers, but for inexplicable reasons, the authority refused bluntly to obey the judgment.
Vanguard