IGP Tenure Extension: We Were Not Contacted, Won’t Subvert Extant Laws Says PSC

By ‘kanmi AKINLADE, Investigator Correspondent Northern Zone/

ABUJA– THE Police Service Commission PSC has said that it was not contacted in the purported extension of the serving Inspector-General of Police IGP Alkali Usman Baba by President Muhammadu Buhari saying that it would therefore, not support it.

The Commission noted that some senior staff of it were quoted out of context by an online news media when it said the Commission had no objection to the IGP’s tenure extension adding adding thatvextant laws frowns at the 4 year single tenure of office as told by the Police Affairs Minister, Dr. M Dingyadi that Mr. President had issued the IGP extension letter.

A statement by the Head, press and public relations Ikechukwu Ani make available to CrimeWorld magazine online said the action of president Muhammadu Buhari amounts to subversion of extant laws stressing that the Commission cannot be party to that.

Ani said, “The attention of the Police Service Commission has been drawn to an online publication in Supremenewsng.com where the Commission was said to have endorsed the tenure elongation of the current Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba.The online publication in a supposed interview with AIG  Lawal Bawa retired, Honourable Commissioner in the Commission representing the Police, stated that the PSC Commissioner confirmed that the Commission ” is not against the extension of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police”.

It went further to quote the Honourable Commissioner ” If the IGP feels that it will affect effective monitoring of the elections, let him write to the President for their extension, We(PSC)  have no objection”The Honourable Commissioner has since denied making such statement , stressing that he was obviously misquoted.According to him, he told the online publication that it was the prerogative of Mr. President to decide.

The Commission therefore, wishes to state that it has not endorsed any tenure elongation for the current Inspector General of Police. As a matter of fact the Commission was never contacted on this subject at any time.It notes that it will always commit itself to the letters and spirit of the laws of the land and will not at any time support or encourage any attempt to subvert these laws.

The Commission wishes to appeal to the media to  avoid unnecessary sensationalism in an  attempt to attract huge readership.The Commission will also continue to work to ensure an effective and efficient Nigeria Police rooted in the rules and regulations governing it’s operations”