The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by the Police Service Commission challenging the nullification of the retirement of 455 senior police officers.
In its judgment delivered on Wednesday, the appellate court upheld the earlier ruling of the National Industrial Court, which declared the retirement exercise unlawful and ordered the immediate reinstatement of the affected officers.
The case, filed as appeal No. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1829MI/2025 between the commission and ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha alongside eight others, stemmed from a September 30, 2025 judgment by Justice R.B. Haastrup.
The lower court had directed that the officers be returned to service with full payment of their salaries and allowances.
It also restrained the commission and the then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, from taking any further steps relating to the controversial retirements.
Dissatisfied, both the commission and the police leadership approached the appellate court. However, in a unanimous decision, a three-member panel comprising Justices Okorowo, Banjoko and Abang dismissed the commission’s appeal in its entirety.
The ruling followed an earlier decision on March 16, 2026, when the same court struck out a separate appeal by the Inspector-General of Police and the Force Secretary, describing it as frivolous.
The dispute originated from the decision of the commission, in collaboration with Egbetokun, to compulsorily retire 455 senior officers on January 31, 2025, a move that generated widespread controversy within the Nigeria Police Force.
Among those affected were top-ranking officers, including AIG Idowu Owohunwa, AIG Ben Igwe and DCP Simon Lough.
Following the development, the aggrieved officers instituted a suit before the National Industrial Court, challenging what they described as an unlawful and unjustified retirement.
The trial court ruled in their favour, granting all reliefs sought, including reinstatement, an outcome now fully affirmed by the appellate court.
Legal analysts say the judgments have effectively settled the lingering dispute over the date of first appointment of Cadet ASP Courses 18, 19 and 20 entrants into the force.
Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the ruling, with stakeholders urging the current Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Police Service Commission to comply promptly with the court’s directives, noting that the Court of Appeal is the final arbiter in matters arising from the National Industrial Court.
