Court Halts Reinstatement of Retired Senior Police Officers

The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja has temporarily halted the planned reinstatement of several retired senior police officers, pending the determination of a legal challenge to their return to service.

Justice Buhari Sani issued an interim injunction restraining the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission from implementing the reinstatement of officers affected by the retirement dispute.

The order followed an ex parte application filed by Advocacy for Human Rights and Cultural Values for Development Initiatives in a suit marked NICN/KN/51/2026.

Among the senior officers affected are Assistant Inspectors-General of Police Idowu Owohunwa, Benneth Chinedu Igwe, Uche Ifeanyi Henry and Joseph O. Eribo, as well as Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Asamber Lough.

The dispute dates back to January 31, 2025, when the Police Service Commission approved the retirement of police officers who had either spent 35 years in service or attained the age of 60, in line with the applicable retirement provisions.

The affected officers subsequently challenged the decision at the National Industrial Court, arguing that the computation of their service periods and dates of first appointment had been improperly applied.

In a judgment delivered on September 30, 2025, the National Industrial Court declared the mass retirement unlawful and ordered the affected officers to be reinstated, alongside payment of their salaries and allowances.

The Police Service Commission appealed the decision, but the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on April 14, 2026, effectively affirming the earlier judgment.

Following the court decisions, the Nigeria Police Force began arrangements for the officers to return to service. In a letter dated July 31, 2026, the Force Secretary, AIG Bode Akinbamilowo, acting on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, directed the affected officers to report for a compulsory six-month induction programme at the Police Staff College, Jos.

However, the latest suit challenges the proposed reinstatement, with the applicant arguing that allowing the officers to resume duty could conflict with provisions of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020 and the Public Service Rules, 2021, which provide for retirement after 35 years of service or upon attaining 60 years of age, whichever comes first.

Justice Sani, in granting the interim order, held that the circumstances warranted urgent judicial intervention, particularly as proceeding with the reinstatement could alter the employment status of the affected officers before the substantive issues are determined.

The court therefore restrained the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission from implementing or giving effect to the reinstatement pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice seeking an interlocutory injunction.

The court also directed the parties to maintain the status quo that existed before the reinstatement decision and ordered the applicant to serve the relevant court processes on the respondents within three days.

The matter has been adjourned until September 30, 2026, for hearing of the interlocutory application.