Thirty-four years after his unjust dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force, a former police officer, Mr. Festus Mrakpor, has finally been reinstated into the force, but he will be retired with all benefits.
Mrakpor, from Djophe, in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, was reportedly unjustly dismissed from the police in 1983.
Our correspondent gathered that Mrakpor’s reinstatement was facilitated by the Senator representing Delta Central, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, after pleas made by the former Delta State deputy governor, Prof Amos Utuama, to the lawmaker to step into the matter.
Senator Omo-Agege took up the matter with the Police Service Commission, saying, “I won’t sit here as Urhobo Senator and allow any institution perpetuate injustice against my people. I don’t accept that at all.”
The senator had, on April 18, 2017, petitioned the Senate, urging the legislative body to compel the PSC to comply totally with the decision of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier given a judgment in favour of Mrapkor, or risk sanctions from the Senate.
Omo-Agege’s senior legislative aide, Efe Duku, told our correspondent in Warri that the senator successfully moved the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges to order the PSC to obey every judicial pronouncement in favour of Mr. Festus Mrakpor.
He said that some lawmakers in the committee even reasoned that given the achievements of Mrakpor’s Course 22 colleagues, the former police officer ought to be granted the rank of Inspector General of Police, Deputy Inspector General of Police or Assistant Inspector General of Police with full retirement benefits, a condition which the Chairman of the PSC, Mr. Mike Okiro (former IGP), who was present at the hearing, accepted and apologised for Mrakpor’s ill-treatment.
The senator’s aide told our correspondent, “Mr. Mrakpor joined the Police Force in 1974 and was in Cadet Inspectors Course 22 of 1977 with Mr. Hafiz Ringim (who later became the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in 2010). Majority of his other course mates retired honourably from the police as Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs). Very brilliant, this Urhoboman was a rising star in the police. However, Mrakpor’s career was suddenly cut short, when he was unceremoniously dismissed in 1983.
“Unable to accept the shock, Mrakpor challenged his dismissal in court from 1986 to 2016. That is, for 30 years and won! The Lagos State High Court decided that his dismissal was a huge injustice based on malicious accusations. The Court of Appeal affirmed this decision. Despite judgments in his favour, the Police Service Commission (PSC) did not comply with the decision of the Court of Appeal.”
