TheCable

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), says nullifying the recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will amount to economic loss.

Malami said this in a counter affidavit filed at the federal high court in Abuja in response to a suit by the Police Service Commission (PSC), challenging the recruitment of 10,000 constables.

The force and the commission have been at loggerheads over the recruitment exercise.

The commission had approached the court to nullify the recruitment and declare that it is the commission’s responsibility.

However, Malami, who was joined as a defendant in the case, asked the court to discard the suit.

The AGF noted that only the force has the power to recruit new officers, while the commission can only appoint from officers already in the force.

“That the recruitment process has gone through significant stages in filtering qualified persons for appointment,” Malami said in the counter affidavit.

“That millions of naira have been budgeted and expended on the current recruitment process of abut 10,000 persons into the Nigeria Police Force.

“That nullifying the current exercise will occasion serious economic loss to the country. The recruitment of persons for appointment into the Nigeria Police Force had been done by the 1st and 2nd defendants (NPF and the IG).

“While it is the powers of the Police Service Commission to appoint police officers to various offices, it is the duty of the 1st and 3rd defendants to conduct recruitment exercises for persons to be appointed by the Police Service Commission.”

In September, President Muhammadu Buhari had met with Mohammed Adamu, the IGP, and Musiliu Smith, the PSC chairman, to resolve the differences.