The Integrity Youth Alliance has called on the self-acclaimed human rights activist Omoyele Sowore to go to court to challenge the amended Nigeria Police Act 2020 instead of using some miscreants to cash out in the name of protest.
Reacting to the failed protest on Wednesday at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters (FHQ) in Abuja, Kelvin Adegbenga said that Omoyele Sowore is a busybody and meddlesome interloper, adding that he was not a serving police officer qualified for appointment or had ever applied for the IGP’s position.
The statement read, “Section 7(6) of the Police Act says the person to be appointed to the office of the Inspector-General of Police shall hold office for four years.
“To further substantiate the tenured office, Section 18(8A) states: “Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (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.”
“This amendment effectively overrides the previous stipulation in Section 18(8), which required officers to retire at 60 or after 35 years of service. It allows the IGP to complete a full four-year term regardless of age.
“Where was Omoyele Sowore when former President Buhari appointed a retired Army Colonel, Hameed Ibrahim Ali, as Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service?
“We also recall that in 2023, Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja dismissed a suit seeking the sack of the Inspector-General of Police for lack of locus standi.
“Omoyele Sowore must understand that Egbetokun’s retirement from the Nigeria Police Force is unrelated to his appointment, as the four-year tenure is sacrosanct.
“We therefore call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Egbetokun, to continue reforming the Nigeria police with the main aim of having a professionally competent and people-friendly police service driven by rule of law, the statement concluded.
