IGP Ignores Court Order, Orders Release of Names of New Police Recruits

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu on Thursday ordered the release of names of successful candidates shortlisted into the force despite a court order restraining him and the Police from doing so. 

A short statement posted on the Police’s official Twitter handle, said the IGP gave the approval for the release of the names. 

See tweet

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, had on Wednesday ordered the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force to stay action on the ongoing recruitment of 10,000 police constables for the nation’s community policing scheme after the PSC led by Musiliu Smith a former Inspector General of Police had approached the court asking it to stop the recruitment.

In the motion on notice filed on September 24 and brought pursuant to order 28 rule 1, the commission is praying the court for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants/respondents, their officers and representatives, including anybody or person acting on their behalf from appointing, recruiting or attempting to appoint or recruit by any means whatsoever any person into any office by the NPF pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

It also asked for “An order nullifying any act or attempt by the defendants, whether acting jointly or severally in appointing or purporting to appoint any person into the first defendant whether by means of enlistment short listing, recognition, recruitment or in any other manner howsoever, such act or attempt being ultra vires the functions and powers of the defendants.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, jointly and severally, by themselves or through their officers, agents or representatives or through any other body or appointee of the Federal Government of Nigeria from further exercising or purporting to exercise the powers to appoint, promote, dismiss or in any manner whatsoever exercise disciplinary control over any person holding or aspiring to hold any office in the Nigeria Police Force other than the Inspector General of Police.”