Count Us Out Of IGP Tenure Elongation – PSC

By Ayodele Oni

Reactions have continued to trail the tenure elongation of the  Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba as the Police Service Commission (PSC) clarified that it has no hand in the gesture.

PSC explained that it never endorsed the tenure elongation of the current Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba.

The Minister of police affairs, Mohammed Dingyadu, had last week announced that President Mohammadu Buhari has granted tenure elongation to the IGP explaining that the Police Act 2020 has changed the rules for an IGP’s retirement.

Alkali Baba and some other high ranking officers are due to retire in March amidst general elections.

There have been speculations lately that the Police Chief, who clocks 60 years on March 1, 2023, will honour the rule that mandates public servants to go on retirement at 60.

Head, Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani, said the retired AIG Lawal Bawa , one of yhe Commissioners in the Commission representing the Police, was quoted as saying that the Commission “is not against the extension of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police.”

It went further to quote the Commissioner ” If the IGP feels that it will affect effective monitoring of the elections, let him write to the President for their extension, We (PSC) have no objection.”

The PSC said that the Commissioner had since denied making such statement, stressing that he was obviously misquoted.

According to him, it is the prerogative of Mr President to decide and take such a decision.

“The Commission therefore wishes to state that it has not endorsed any tenure elongation for the current Inspector General of Police.

“As a matter of fact the Commission was never contacted on this subject at any time.

“It notes that it will always commit itself to the letters and spirit of the laws of the land and will not at any time support or encourage any attempt to subvert these laws.

“The Commission wishes to appeal to the media to avoid unnecessary sensationalism in an attempt to attract huge readership.

“The Commission will also continue to work to ensure an effective and efficient Nigeria Police rooted in the rules and regulations governing its operations.”