An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern, has said that the elongation of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, may weaken the structure of the police.
The Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said this in a statement he made available to the media on Monday.
Akintola said in the statement: “Our attention has been drawn to the ongoing controversy over the tenure elongation given to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun who attained retirement age of 60 years on 4th September 2024 but whose tenure was extended by the Police Service Commission (PSC) after the Police Act was amended.
“For whereas Section 18(8) of the Act says: ‘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’, the amended part stated, ‘Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-section (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.’
“An executive bill passed by both the green and red houses on the same day paved way for a new Section 18(8A) of the Police Act to enforce Section 7(6) of the Act.
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“While conceding the fact that the issue of the extension of the IGP’s tenure does not fall within the immediate ambit of promoting and protecting Allah-given fundamental human rights of Nigerian Muslims which is the main focus of MURIC, there is no gainsaying the fact that the matter has a bearing on the security and welfare of all Nigerians of whom Muslims are an integral part.
“We nurse the fear that the tenure extension given to the IGP is capable of eroding efficiency, breeding division within the force and diminishing public confidence. This is not good enough for a security institution that has just started gaining public confidence through effective policing.
“With the exception of a few bad eggs, the police institution has tremendously improved the security architecture of Nigeria in recent time. Hundreds of kidnap victims have been rescued while several high-profile crimes have been solved. This tempo should be maintained while anything capable of dampening the morale of serving policemen should be avoided at this time.
“As the 22nd IGP, Egbetokun will be remembered for improved security network in his own time. Our sincere advice is that he should bow out now before this controversy gets messy and an hitherto clean record gets tarnished. Real heroes leave the stage while the ovation is loudest.”
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