Retirement: Uncertainty as lawyer asks court to stop IGP Adamu's tenure
- Nigeria's police chief, Mohammed Adamu, has been dragged to court over his continuous stay in office despite reaching the retirement age
- An Abuja lawyer, Maxwell Okpara, wants the court to stop the IGP's tenure, arguing that it is against the law
- Okpara also wants the court to declare President Buhari's failure to appoint Adamu's successor as illegal
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Maxwell Okpara, a lawyer based in Abuja, has asked a Federal High Court to stop Mohammed Adamu from functioning as Nigeria's Inspector General of Police (IGP).
According to a report filed by Daily Trust, the lawyer also asked the court to restrain Adamu from exercising any form of command over officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
Okpara who also joined President Muhammadu Buhari and others in the suit stated that Adamu’s tenure had elapsed on Monday, February 1, 2021, by virtue of the Police Act.
Source: Facebook
He argued that by provisions of section 215, 216 and 7 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, Adamu cannot continue to function as IG after February 1, 2021.
The lawyer wants to the court to declare that the failure of President Buhari and the Nigeria Police Council which was also joined in the suit to appoint a new IGP as at the first day of February 2021 constitutes an abdication of their duties.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that as many Nigerians eagerly wait for President Buhari to appoint a new IGP, Adamu is still in charge of the police.
It was gathered that was at the airport in Abuja on Tuesday, February 2, to receive President Buhari upon his arrival from Katsina after a four-day visit.
Adamu’s tenure lapsed on February 1, 2021, after completing 35 years in office as a police officer as required by the Nigeria Police Act.
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Meanwhile, the presidency has said President Buhari will not be driven by ethnic sentiments or affiliations in his choice of the next police chief.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, made the statement in reaction to agitations and calls from a section of the country that the next IGP should come from the southeast.
Shehu insisted that the president will only appoint someone who will ensure the security of Nigerians is better than what has been recorded.
Source: Legit.ng
