BY Bolanle Olabimtan
A federal high court in Abuja has fixed December 4 to deliver judgement in a suit filed by the Police Service Commission (PSC) to challenge the recruitment of 10,000 police constables.
On Wednesday, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, fixed the date for judgement after hearing arguments from counsels in the matter.
The defendants in the suit are the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), minister of police affairs and Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation (AGF).
PSC submitted that none of the respondents is authorised by law to play any role “in the appointment, promotion, dismissal or exercise of disciplinary measures over persons holding or aspiring to hold offices in the Nigeria Police Force”.
“Unless restrained by an order of this Court, the respondent’s appointments/recruitment is capable of foisting a fiat accompli on the judgment of this Honourable Court in this matter.”
In his argument, Kanu Agabi, counsel representing PSC, said there was no distinction between recruitment and appointment as claimed by the AGF’s counsel.
He added that there is no constitutional backing that empowers the IGP to recruit police.
“The fourth defendant has tried to distinguish between recruitment and appointment but recruitment simply means the filling of vacancies by appointment of people not already in the public service, there is no distinction between the two,” he said.
“There is no single place in the constitution where the name of the IGP is mentioned as regards recruitment.”
He urged the court to grant their reliefs.
Responding, Alex Izinyon,counsel to the NPF and the IGP, described the suit as frivolous and scandalous.
He challenged the jurisdiction of the judge to handle cases between organs of government or agencies of government.
Terhemba Agbe, the AGF counsel, told the court that the AGF had advised both parties to work in harmony, that the IGP should conduct recruitment into the police and the names of those found worthy should be forwarded to the PSC for an appointment.
Agbe also urged the court to dismiss the suit.
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