Eight senior officers of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have reportedly retired and are considering legal action to challenge the circumstances surrounding their exits.
The officers, all Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, were said to have stepped down on Friday amid ongoing restructuring within the police hierarchy following the appointment of a new Inspector-General of Police.
According to sources within the force who spoke with Bellnews, the affected officers are reviewing the circumstances of their retirement and may approach the court if they determine that due process was not followed.
Those said to have retired include former Force Public Relations Officer Frank Mba, Sadiq Idris Abubakar, Bzigu Yakubu Kwazi, who served as DIG in charge of Operations, Adebola Hamzat, Basil Okwuoma Idegwu, Mohammed Gumel, Dankwara Adamu Mohammed and Funsho Adegboye.
Sources disclosed that the officers are weighing legal options over issues relating to their retirement dates and whether the decision complied with service regulations governing tenure and retirement within the Nigeria Police Force.
The development comes shortly after the appointment of Tunji Disu as the Inspector-General of Police.
Reports had earlier indicated that the DIGs were set to be compulsorily retired following the leadership change within the force.
Meanwhile, seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police who recently appeared before the Police Service Commission for promotion interviews have reportedly passed the screening.
They are expected to be decorated as Deputy Inspectors-General of Police by the IGP on Monday.
The officers are Zacharia Fera Achinyan, Zango Ibrahim Baba, Isyaku Mohammed, Margaret Agebe Ochalla, Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie and Umar Shehu Nadada.
The promotion screening was conducted on Friday at the headquarters of the Police Service Commission in Abuja.
DIG Adegoke Mustapha Fayoade, who was promoted from Assistant Inspector-General to Deputy Inspector-General in February, will also be decorated alongside the newly promoted officers.
The Police Service Commission had approved his promotion on February 20 after he successfully passed the commission’s written examination and oral interview.
The exercise forms part of routine career progression within the Nigerian Police Force and is conducted in collaboration with the Police Service Commission, which oversees the appointment, promotion and discipline of senior police officers.