Police to reinstate 92 disengaged officers after court order

The Nigeria Police Force has agreed to reinstate 92 officers who were forcefully retired before reaching their mandatory retirement age, following a ruling by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja.
The affected officers, from Courses 33, 34, and 35 of the Nigeria Police Academy, were retired in 2021 despite not completing 35 years of service or reaching the retirement age of 60. Unhappy with the decision, they took legal action, and in April 2022, the NICN ruled in their favor, ordering their reinstatement.
However, the police authorities, including the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Police Service Commission (PSC), failed to implement the ruling. Frustrated by the delay, the officers returned to court, requesting a contempt order against the IGP for disobeying the judgment.
In August 2024, the police invited the affected officers to Abuja for documentation, a step seen as part of their reinstatement process. But after completing the documentation, no further action was taken.
Last week, during a committal proceeding at the NICN, the officers’ lawyer, Mr. Adeleke Agbola (SAN), urged the court to ensure the enforcement of its ruling.
“This is a contempt proceeding. Some urgent issues have arisen since we filed this application. The PSC issued a circular stating that the officers’ initial date of entry into the police force—not their entry into the academy—would be used to calculate their service years.
“However, the court had ruled that their service years should be calculated from their academy entry date. There is no appeal against this judgment. I urge the court to maintain the status quo until the committal proceedings determine whether there has been a breach of the judgment,” Agbola argued.
In response, counsel for the Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Ade Adedeji (SAN), assured the court that the police would comply with the ruling.
“We have taken steps to obey the court’s judgment. There is no appeal against it; it is final. The circular in question does not affect the claimants and does not prejudice any party in this matter. All the affected officers have been posted. I give an undertaking that the police will comply with the judgment and uphold the rule of law,” Adedeji stated.