The Police Service Commission, on Friday approved the retirement of police officers above 60 years old or have spent 35 years in service.
The PSC took the decision at an extraordinary meeting, citing Public Service Rule which provides for the retirement on attainment of 35 years in service or 60 years of age.
A statement by Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations Officer, announcing the decision Friday did not provide any clue of how many officers may be affected.
But the statement said the commission had at its 24th Plenary Meeting of 27 and 28 September 2017 approved that the Force Entrants should have their date of appointment in the Force against the date of their enlistment.
It added, “The Commission has passionately revisited their decision and has come to the conclusion that the said decision in its intent and purpose contradicted the principle of merger of service in the Public service and it is in violation of Public Service Rule No 020908 ( i & ii) which provides for retirement on attainment of 35 years in service or 60 years of age.
“Accordingly, the Commission at its 1st extra ordinary meeting of the 6th Management Board held today, Friday, 31st January 2025, approved the immediate retirement of those officers who have spent more than 35 years in service and those above 60 years of age,” the statement added.
The development implies a complete purge from the police service all age mates of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who despite crossing 60 years in September last year will remain in service.
Egbetokun’s stay in office was made possible by a controversial amendment to the Police Act last year which saw his tenure extended to 2027.
PSC’s mass retirement of officers caught by the public service rule came at a time when activist Omoyele Sowore’s recent social media post describing Egbetokun as an illegal IGP reignited public interest in the controversial circumstances under which the amendment extending his tenure was carried out.
The police on Monday charged Sowore with cybercrimes over his claim.
However, the assertion has gained traction online since Sowore’s prosecution started, prompting the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister, Lateef Fagbemi, and the Nigerian Police Force to explain the legal basis for extension of Egbetokun’s tenure.
The amendment, proposed as an executive bill and passed almost immediately after it was introduced at the National Assembly on 23 July 2023, drew a public uproar with many questioning the motive behind it.
The bill, passed with supersonic speed, scaled second and third readings on the same day, it was introduced at both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Both chambers passed the bill that same day.
