Ozekhome Fumes As Buhari Extends IGP’s Tenure By Three Months

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, by three months.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammad Dingyadi, yesterday.
Dingyadi disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
According to him, the extension was necessary to allow for proper selection of a successor to replace Adamu.
Adamu’s tenure had expired since Monday, February 1, 2021, after the completion of his 35 years maximum to stay in the police force.
Buhari was expected to have named a new Inspector-General of Police in place of Adamu after the expiration of his tenure, but the president had been silent on the issue.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu had said on Monday that he was not aware of the imminent announcement of a new police chief.
Shehu said the president was currently away to Daura, and that no one knew what the next move would be.
“The President returns to Abuja on Tuesday. He should be on his desk by Wednesday. I don’t know when he will do this. One thing I can assure you is that in places sensitive like that, there is no vacuum that will subsist, so, therefore, the system will take care of itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has said President Muhammadu Buhari, was wrong to extend the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
Ozekhome described the President’s action as, “unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, questionable, arbitrary, whimsical, capricious”.
The senior advocate spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme monitored by The Tide in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
He said, “The President was wrong, the President was wrong and the President was wrong to have purportedly extended the tenure of office of Mr Adamu. That he was going to retire on the 1st of February was not a surprise, everybody knows that he was born in 1961, everybody knows that he joined the Nigeria Police Force 35 years ago.
“Did you not see what happened in America that we modelled our democracy after? Before Biden was sworn in on the 20th of January, he had already assembled his cabinet, a rainbow coalition, a Dolly Parton’s coat of many colours. By their features you will see them –Blacks, Hispanics, Americans, Jews, Chinese, Russians, Arabs, African-Americans.
“Why do we always wait till the last moment to begin to adopt the fire brigade approach and then do the things that are unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, questionable, arbitrary, whimsical, capricious as the present act of Mr President has done. Don’t Mr President’s handlers know that they are embarrassing Mr President and Nigeria?
“We have to look at Section 7, Sub-section 6 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020, what does it say? In very emphatic, categorically words, it says that the Inspector General of Police shall serve for four years. Has Adamu served for four years? No. Would he therefore continue in office? No.
“Why? Section 18, Sub-section 8 of the same Nigeria Police Act 2020. It makes it clear, unambiguously that the Inspector General of Police shall retire from office when he would have served for 35 years or he has attained the age of 65 years.
“Granted that Adamu, born in 1961 being the 20th Inspector General of Police has not attained the age of 65 but he has served 35 years and he ended that 35 years on the 1st of February, 2021”, he added.