3 months ago
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BY BARTH EZE
Palpable fear is brewing at the top echelon of the Nigeria Police Force NPF, as presidency commences search for the replacement of the retiring Inspector General of the Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The Inspector-General of Police, Egbetokun, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu and he is due for retirement from the Nigeria Police Force on September 4, 2024.
His retirement is sequel to the civil service rule, which stipulates that civil servants are mandated to retire following the attainment of age 60 or having spent 35 years in service, depending on which comes first.
Tinubu followed his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, in appointing a police officer whose retirement date preceded his tenure in office.
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The action ran foUl of the Police Act, 2020, which stipulates a four-year tenure for an IG, but Buhari appointed the former IG, Usman Baba, on April 6, 2021, when he was expected to retire from the police on March 1, 2023, when he turned 60 years of age.
Meanwhile, the presidency is said to be on the lookout for a new Inspector General of Police, who would assume duty after September.
A presidency source said there is tension at the top brass of the Force as Tinubu begins search. The fear is occasioned by the fact that the presidency has narrowed its search to the level of Commissioner of Police as a replacement.
This decision is creating panic because the top echelon of the force will be ‘swept out’ and many high ranking officers will go immediately their junior is elevated as IGP.
This is because the presidency is considering freeing the top for some junior officers to come up to responsibilities. The fear is that some senior officers from the DIGs and AIGs will go following the elevation of Commissioner of Police as the new IGP.
Sunday Times gathered that a Commissioner of Police in the North Central is being considered for the position but the command and the person is close to the chest of the President.
It was gathered that the President was not going to extend Egbetokun’s tenure immediately he retires but a new appointment may be offered to him.
Recall that there was a proposed bill, aimed at amending the Nigeria Police Act 2020, which seeks to increase the retirement age of police officers from 60 to 65 years and their tenure of service from 35 to 40 years.
The bill also seeks to extend the tenure of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and other officers by five years but it failed to gain support from stakeholders at a hearing held by the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.
Many senior police officers, stakeholders and Police Service Commission, PSC, kicked against it.
The bill failed to scale through because of its widespread criticism from key stakeholders, and the Police Service Commission (PSC), the Ministry of Police Affairs, and the National Salaries and Wages Commission during the public hearing.
According to our findings, the bill didn’t go well with some senior police officers who were not happy with the bill
It was learned that the Ministry of Police Affairs warned that extending service years of IGP will not augur well for the operation of the Force, stating that it amounts to setting a dangerous precedent for other agencies, such as the military and paramilitary organisations.
According to him, increasing the service years of police personnel would lead to stagnation, hindering progress and innovation within the force, while also negatively impacting motivation and adaptability.
Ibrahim Muhammad, Director, Police Services Department for the Minister, stated in his memo: “in the face of the nation’s biting economic situation, to extend the service years of Police Officers will only increase the cost of governance which the Federal Government is striving to cut.
Egbetokun has undergone several local and international courses to enhance his skills and knowledge. Born on September 4, 1964, he joined the NPF on March 3, 1990, as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police in Course 16.
A graduate of Mathematics from the University of Lagos, a Master of Science degree in Engineering Analysis, a Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Economics from Delta State University, and an MBA degree from Lagos State University.
He is from Egbado-South in Ogun State, and was a former chief security officer to President Tinubu.
He was Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters and before that, he was the 30th Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 7, Abuja, a position he assumed on October 25, 2022.
Egbetokun served in various commands and held sensitive positions within the NPF and was the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos from 2005 to 2007, Squadron Commander of the 5th Police Mobile Force, Benin Edo Stare, Officer-in-Charge of Anti-Fraud in the FCT Command, CSP “A” in the Lagos State Command, Area Commander in Oshogbo, Osun State, Area Commander in Gusau, Zamfara State.
Also he held the position of Commandant of the Police Training School in Ikeja, Lagos, Deputy Commandant of the Police College in Ikeja, CP Servicom at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, CP Explosive Ordinance Disposal, and CP of Kwara State Command and served as CP (Admin) Medical in Falomo, Lagos.
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