IGP Usman Lifts Lid on Three-month Prison Sentence
By Collins Mbakwe
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, has reacted to the order of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, sentencing him (IGP) to three months in prison for defying a 2011 court order.
Following a lawsuit brought by Patrick Okoli, a police officer who was forcibly and illegally retired from the Nigerian Police Force, the IGP was sentenced to prison.
Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force public relations officer, responded to the court’s decision by stating that the IGP did not defy the law or the court ruling because “the office is not aware of any Court Order, during the current IGP’s tenure.
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The following was stated in the statement: “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to state unequivocally that the office of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, did not disregard a court order or the rule of law as the office is not aware of any court order, during the current IGP’s tenure”.
According to information gathered from the reports, the case involves an officer who was fired as early as 1992, just a few years after the present IGP joined the Nigeria Police Force.
The most recent judgement in the case was rendered in 2011, so it should typically not be directly within the purview of the current leadership of the Force. The news is, therefore, unexpected and unique.
“However, the IGP has instructed the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Force Legal Unit to look into the allegation in an effort to learn the court’s position and provide knowledgeable legal advice for the IGP prompt and necessary action.
The Inspector-General of Police reaffirms his commitment to upholding the rule of law and collaborating with the judiciary to guarantee swift justice delivery for a better criminal justice system.
