The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by the Police Service Commission challenging the judgment of the National Industrial Court which nullified the retirement of 455 senior police officers.
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The appellate court, in appeal No. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/1829MI/2025 between the Police Service Commission and ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha & eight others, upheld the earlier decision of the lower court which set aside what it described as the illegal and forceful retirement of the officers.
The National Industrial Court, in its judgment delivered on September 30, 2025, by Justice R.B. Haastrup, had ordered the immediate reinstatement of the affected officers, alongside the payment of their salaries and allowances.
The court also restrained the commission and the then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, from carrying out further actions relating to the retirement of the officers.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the commission and the police leadership filed separate appeals before the Court of Appeal.
However, in its judgment on Wednesday, a three-member panel of the appellate court comprising Justices Okorowo, Banjoko and Abang dismissed the commission’s appeal, thereby affirming the decision of the National Industrial Court in its entirety.
The ruling came weeks after the same court, on March 16, 2026, struck out a separate appeal filed by the Inspector-General of Police and the Force Secretary in respect of the same matter, describing it as frivolous.
The dispute arose following the decision of the Police Service Commission, in conjunction with Egbetokun, to retire 455 senior officers on January 31, 2025.
The development had sparked controversy within the Nigeria Police Force, with critics alleging that the retirements were carried out without lawful justification.
Among those affected were senior officers, including AIG Idowu Owohunwa, AIG Ben Igwe and DCP Simon Lough, among others.
The aggrieved officers subsequently approached the National Industrial Court in suit No. NICN/ABJ/28/2025, seeking redress over what they termed their unlawful retirement.
In its ruling, the trial court granted all the reliefs sought by the officers and ordered their reinstatement, a decision that has now been affirmed by the appellate court.
Legal observers say the judgments have effectively resolved the controversy surrounding the date of first appointment of Cadet ASP Courses 18, 19 and 20 entrants into the Nigeria Police Force.
Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the appellate court’s decision, with some stakeholders expressing optimism that the current Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Police Service Commission will comply with the judgment.
They urged the police authorities to implement the court’s directives without delay, noting that the Court of Appeal remains the final appellate court in matters arising from the National Industrial Court.
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