Don’t Cancel Police Recruitment Of 10,000 Constables, Malami Urges Court

Don’t Cancel Police Recruitment Of 10,000 Constables, Malami Urges Court

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Wednesday, urged the Federal High Court not to nullify the recruitment of 10,000 police constables as requested by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

Mr Malami asked the court to consider the economic implication of nullifying the recruitment.

Mr Malami, in a counter-affidavit filed by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata, opposed the suit instituted by the PSC to challenge the proprietary of the constables’ recruitment process by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

He told Justice Inyang Ekwo that cancelling the process which he said had gone through “significant stages,” as requested by the commission, would amount to an economic loss for the country.

Details of Mr Malami’s counter-affidavit was published by the News Agency of Nigeria.

The Suit

The Police Service Commission (PSC) had taken the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to court over the recruitment of 10,000 constables as approved by President Buhari.

The suit with the number, FHC/ABJ/CS/1124/2019, was filed by the plaintiff’s counsel, Kanu Agabi.

The defendants in the suit are the NPF, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Minister of Police Affairs.

In the motion on notice filed on September 24, the commission is praying the court for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants 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.”

The plaintiff also submitted that none of the respondents is authorised by law to play any role ”in the appointment, promotion, dismissal or exercise of disciplinary measures over persons holding or aspiring to hold offices in the Nigeria Police Force”.

The commission said the NPF is presently trying to appoint 10,000 persons into the force in a flagrant usurpation of the functions and powers of the PSC.

“Unless restrained by an order of this Court, the respondent’s appointments/recruitments is capable of foisting a fait accompli on the judgment of this Honourable Court in this matter,” it argued.

The court in October ordered that the recruitment be suspended pending the determination of the suit.