Stop double standards, obey court order, retired officers tell IGP

Some retired police officers have called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, to obey the judgement of the National Industrial Court, which ordered the Force to reinstate them into the force, saying the IGP was employing double standards in the implementation of the judgement.

The aggrieved ex-cops, who were members of Course 33, 34 and 35 of the Police Academy, were said to have been forcefully retired from the police service when they had not spent 35 years in service or attained 60 years of age.

They challenged the action of the police at the industrial court and got a favourable judgement in April 2022 but the defendants — the IGP, the Police Service Commission and the Secretary of the Police Force — have allegedly refused to enforce the judgement.

The retired officers later sought a committal order from the court to send the IGP to prison for disobeying the court. But the Force has described the call for the imprisonment of the IGP, by the retired officers, as baseless and mischievous.

A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, said, “the purported call for their (retired officers) reinstatement is strange to the law and unrealistic, ” adding that the NPF had filed a motion for a stay of execution at the court while the appeal is slated for hearing at the court’s convenience.”

In a statement issued by the retired officers, signed by one of them, Emmanuel Idris, on Wednesday, the concerned ex-policemen alleged that the IGP was playing double standard, saying the NPF has implemented the judgement for some officers who had a similar case because the affected persons were loyalists of the IGP.

The statement was titled ‘RE: Non-implementation of court judgement in suit no. NICN/ABJ/281/2021, dated April 19, 2022, by the Inspector General of Police.’

It reads, “We, the retired police officers, reported that the IGP Baba Usman has inexplicably refused to implement the court judgement from a court of competent jurisdiction, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/281/2021, dated April 19, 2022, which was delivered in our favour. We were members of the Cadet Inspectors Force Entrants courses 33 (1994), 34 (1996) and 35 (2000).

“It was further noted that we went to National Industrial Court of Nigeria when the police authority refused to regularise our date of appointments like our cadet ASPs counterparts who also got similar court judgement in their favour which the IGP immediately implemented last year through signal dated 24/5/2021 for cadet ASPs courses 18 (1994), 19 (1996) and 20 (2000) because it benefited his (IGP) cronies among whom is now a commissioner in one of the state commands.

“Others are now DCPs and ACPs, some of whom ought to have retired in 2021. However, we, their cadet Inspectors counterparts of courses 33 (1994), 34(1996) and 35 (2000), were trained together at the same institution and at the same period, the police authority refused to implement our judgement that was delivered and served since April 2022.

“The Police Service Commission sensing the futility in appealing the case or the implications of disobeying court order has twice directed the IGP to implement the court judgement but the latter has refused despite advice from some authorities of the police force for the implementation of the judgement.

“This is not only prejudicial but pure double standard as it is said that what is sauce for the geese should be sauce for the gander. Similarly, in the affidavit recently filed by the IGP, he averred that it was we the officers, when we were in the force that failed to report for documentation and implementation of the court judgement, and in actual sense, there was no communication of any kind either through signal or letters to us in the force.

“The IGP should do the needful by inviting us for documentation instead of dissipating energy and time on further prolongation of the matter.

“Suffice to say that if the Nigeria Police Force who is a leading agency in enforcement of orders can refuse to implement such an important judgement from a court of competent jurisdiction, then who else is expected to enforce court orders? We concerned officers perceived this act as discriminatory in nature which is absolutely absurd and contrary to the principles of justice, fairness and equity.”