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Court To Determine Legality of IGP Tenure Elongation on April 16

The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed April 16 to deliver judgment in the suit seeking the removal of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, from office over tenure elongation.

The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed fixed the date after parties adopted their final written addresses.

At the resumed hearing, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Ugochukwu Ezekiel, and counsel to IGP, Mr Alex Izinyon (SAN), informed the court that they had successfully served the 4th defendant with their court processes.

Consequently, they informed the court of their readiness to proceed with hearing of the matter.

Mr. Ezekiel, in adopting his written address said that he was relying on all the documents he filed.

”We rely on all the affidavit and exhibits attached and urge the court to grant the reliefs and answer the questions in favour of the plaintiff,” he said.

Similarly, Izinyon urged the court to uphold the preliminary objection of his client in response to the plaintiff’s written address and dismiss the application.

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A lawyer, Mr Maxwell Okpara, filed the suit following the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the tenure of Adamu as Inspector-General of Police by three months after his retirement on Feb. 1.

Okpara’s contention was that by virtue of Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 7 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, Adamu could not continue to function as the inspector-general, having retired as a serving member of the force.

Okpara, in the suit, is seeking an order of court for Adamu to resign from office, having spent the mandatory 35 years in service.

He named Buhari, Adamu, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Nigerian Police Council as 1st to 4th defendants in the suit.

But in a counter-affidavit, the IGP submitted that the new Nigeria Police Act gave him a four-year tenure, which would elapse in 2023.

Wahab Akinlade

Akinlade I. WAHAB is a dedicated journalist and the proprietor of I-WAHAB Media. He embarked on his career at Murhi International TV (MiTV) and subsequently joined Radio Nigeria as a Judicial Correspondent.With a profound interest in legal reporting, he currently holds the positions of Chairman at the National Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC), Ikeja Branch, and Chairman at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Radio Nigeria Chapel.As the owner of I-WAHAB Media, he has successfully established Top Court News, a platform renowned for providing comprehensive coverage of court cases and legal developments, with the aim of promoting transparency within the judicial system.Akinlade's diligent work and unwavering commitment to ethical reporting have earned him immense respect within the Nigerian journalism community.

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