In a landmark ruling, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the Police Service Commission’s appeal and affirmed the reinstatement of 455 senior police officers who were compulsorily retired.
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Wednesday, upheld the judgment of the National Industrial Court which had declared the mass retirement illegal and ordered the immediate reinstatement of the affected officers with full payment of their salaries and allowances.
A three-member panel of the appellate court, comprising Justices Okorowo, Banjoko, and Abang, ruled in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1829MI/2025 between the Police Service Commission and ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha & 8 others.
The court completely affirmed the earlier decision delivered by Justice R.B. Haastrup of the National Industrial Court on September 30, 2025, which set aside the forceful retirement of the officers and restrained the commission and the then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, from further actions on the matter.
The controversial retirement, which took effect on January 31, 2025, affected several senior officers including AIG Idowu Owohunwa, AIG Ben Igwe, and DCP Simon Lough, among others.
The officers had challenged their retirement in court, describing it as unlawful.This latest ruling follows the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision on March 16, 2026, striking out a similar appeal filed by the Inspector-General of Police and the Force Secretary, which was described as frivolous.
Legal experts note that the judgments have now laid to rest the long-standing dispute over the date of first appointment for officers who joined the Nigeria Police Force through Cadet ASP Courses 18, 19, and 20.
Stakeholders have called on the current Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Police Service Commission to comply with the court order without further delay, as the Court of Appeal is the final court in such labour-related matters.
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