Etim Ekpimah
The Court of Appeal at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has declared that the recruitment of 10,000 constables by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu in 2019 is null and void.
A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Olabisi Ige unanimously held the IGP lacked the power to recruit constables for the Police Force.
According to the court, the power to carry out the recruitment was exclusively that of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and not the IGP.
The judgment upturned the December 2, 2019 verdict of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had sanctioned the IGP to proceed with the recruitment of 10,000 constables in 2019.
The PSC, in a superiority battle with the IPG, in September 2019, instituted the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2019, in its bid to gain the exclusive right to conduct the recruitment process, which the NPF and the IGP, had as of that time, almost concluded.
Delivering the lead judgment of the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, Justice Ige, upheld the PSC’s case by resolving all the issues raised in favour of the appellant.
The court held that the police regulation and or the provisions of the Police Act, which vested the IGP the power of recruiting constables “is null and void being in conflict with the Constitutional powers vested in the Police Service Commission.”
It therefore declared the recruitment carried out by the IGP as “null and void”.