Police clarifies IG tenure extension
Police
Police clarifies IG tenure extension
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Nigeria Police Force has clarified a viral report that President Bola Tinubu has extended the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, enunciating that what the president approved for Egbetokun is the proper application of the law governing the tenure of the office of the IGP.
Police in a statement signed on Friday, September 6 by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi and shared on Saturday established that the IGP does not need to lobby for tenure extension as his appointment letter grants him a four-year tenure from the date of his appointment, stating that the viral report is the handiwork of mischief makers who are determined to spread fib information against the office and the personality of the IGP for their personal gains.
The statement reads, “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to various misleading reports and misinterpretations concerning the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, and wishes to categorically state that what His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, approved for the IGP is not an extension of tenure, but rather the proper application of the law governing the tenure of the office of the IGP.
“Contrary to the misinformation being circulated on social media and in the news, an appointment letter in circulation was issued to the IGP shortly after his appointment was confirmed by the Police Council. This letter, dated 3rd November 2023, clearly stated that the President had approved a four-year tenure for the IGP in accordance with the provisions of Section 215(a) and Section 28(c) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“It is important to emphasise that the IGP does not need to lobby for any tenure extension as his appointment letter explicitly grants him a four-year tenure from the date of his appointment. The ongoing circulation of false information is clearly the handiwork of pessimists and mischief makers who are determined to spread baseless narratives against the office and the personality of the IGP for obvious reasons and pecuniary gains.”
Adejobi while explaining the importance of the clarification noted that IGP has been issued with another letter in accordance with the requirements of the Police Act, 2020 (as amended), which supersedes the earlier correspondence.
He however enjoined the public to ignore the baseless reports underscoring that the tenure of the IGP is in full submission with the laws governing the NPF and the office is not subject to controversy.
“Furthermore, the IGP has since been issued with another letter in accordance with the provisions of the Police Act, 2020 (as amended), which supersedes the earlier correspondence. This clarification is necessary to put an end to the speculations and falsehoods being spread.
“We urge the public to disregard the unfounded reports and to trust that the tenure of the IGP is in full compliance with the laws governing the Nigeria Police Force. In clear terms, IGP’s tenure of office is not subject to unnecessary debate and should not be a source of perennial distraction to the policing system in Nigeria. The law is sacrosanct,” he stated.
