According to the whistler, an online news publication obtained a document listing the seven (7) Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) and 33 Assistant Inspector Generals (AIGs) currently serving in the Nigeria Police Force, and who are in line to succeed Usman Baba as the Inspector General of Police.
President Muhammadu Buhari was expected to appoint one of the 40 officers as the 22nd Inspector General of Police (IGP) following the expiration of IGP Usman Baba’s tenure in March 2023, but he never did.
Part V Section 18 (8) of the Police Act states: “Every police officer shall, on recruitment or appointment, serve in the Nigeria Police Force for a period of 35 years or until he attains the age of 60 years, whichever is earlier.
President Muhammadu Buhari retained IGP Baba despite attaining the statutory age of 60, and 35 years of active service in the police force.
It now appears that Baba will go at the end of Buhari’s tenure later this month.
His successor will emerge from the DIG and AIG ranks as is the tradition of previous presidents.
Part III, Section 7 (2) of the Police Act 2020 States: “The person to be appointed as Inspector-General of Police shall be a senior police officer not below the rank of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police with the requisite academic qualifications of not less than a first degree or its equivalent in addition to professional and management experience.”
Until he emerged as IGP, Baba was the DIG-in-charge of the Department of Finance and Administration. At the same time, his predecessor, Mohammed Adamu, was an AIG in charge of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Jos, Plateau State.
Only 13 Officers ‘Qualified’
According to Part III Section 7(6) of the Police Act: “The person appointed to the office of the Inspector-General of Police shall hold office for four years”
But in the past, both IGP Baba and Adamu were appointed at the age of 58 years, had actively served 33 years in the police and had two years left to retire.
The decision by the Buhari administration was criticized by legal practitioners and civil society groups, who noted that the president should appoint senior officers with more active years in the police.
Analysis of the profiles of the 40 officers showed that a total of 14 senior officers: 11 AIGs and three (3) DIGs are scheduled for retirement in 2023.
By 2024, a total of 13 senior officers: 11 AIGs and two (2) DIGs will also retire from the police force.
The incoming president, Bola Tinubu, is left with the available options of 11 AIGs and two (2) DIGs on the roll to appoint the next IGP.
Retired Commissioner of Police (CP) Shola Amore told THE WHISTLER that the appointment of the IGP is solely based on Section 7 (3) of the Police Act which states:
“The Inspector-General of Police shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Police Council from among serving members of the Police Force.”