Usman Alkali Baba, the IGP, won’t be leaving his position in the middle of the general elections. Instead, he already possesses a document prolonging his appointment.
Following the first Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting of 2023, Mohammed Dingyadi, the minister of police affairs, revealed this to State House Correspondents. He outlined how the Police Act 2020 altered the regulations for an IGP’s retirement.
The Police Chief, who turns 60 on March 1, 2023, has recently been the subject of rumors about whether or not he or she will follow the law requiring public employees to retire at age 60.
However, responding to a question from correspondents on whether or not the IGP would be retiring indeed as expected, Dingyadi said: “I don’t know where you got your record but let me say that by the provision of the Police Act 2020, the IG is now supposed to have a kind of four-year period and Mr. President has already given him a letter of appointment in that regard.
So the issue of IG going out during this election period does not arise.”
President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the then DIG Baba as the acting Inspector General of Police on April 6, 2021.
The Police Council confirmed him as the substantive Inspector General of Police on June 2021.
There had been concerns over the expected retirement of the IGP, three Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs), many Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police (CPs) and 290 other policemen in the first quarter of 2023.
Dingyadi also disclosed that FEC approved the draft bill for an Act to establish Nigeria Police Institutions, which he said is to provide legal backing to the existing training institutions across the country and not to build new ones
He also affirmed that the level of corruption within the Nigeria Police has drastically reduced.
