President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appealed to the House of Representatives to amend the Nigeria Police Act in accordance with section 58 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The amendment seeks to alter the Police Act in relation to the appointment and tenure of office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The bill seeks to amend the Nigeria Police Act, 2020 (“Principal Act”) to enable the person appointed as IGP to remain in office until the end of term stipulated in the letter of appointment.
The bill seeks that Section 18 of the Principal Act is amended by adding a new subsection (8A) – “(8A) Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-section (8) of this
section, any person appointed to the office of Inspector-General of Police shall remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment in line with the provisions of Section 7(6) of this Act”.
The bill has been passed for a second reading and sent to the Committee on the Whole
Currently, the Act says that an officer considered for the position of Inspector General of Police must have at least four years in service.
However, the president did not take that into consideration in the appointment of Kayode Egbetokun, current IGP who is due for retirement in a few months. (Daily Trust)
