Police recruitment: Court to deliver judgment in PSC suit Dec 4

The Federal High Court Abuja will on December 4 deliver judgment
in the suit filed by the Police Service Commission against the
Nigeria Police Force over the recruitment of 10,000 constables.

The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, fixed the date on
Wednesday after hearing arguments from counsel representing parties
in the suit.

Arguing on behalf of PSC, Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN), held that
contrary to arguments earlier canvassed by the Attorney- General of
the Federation, the fourth defendant in the suit, there was no
distinction between recruitment and appointment.

“The fourth defendant has tried to distinguish between
recruitment and appointment but recruitment simply means the
filling of vacancies by appointment of people not already in the
public service, there is no distinction between the two,” Agabi
said.

Agabi further argued that there was no constitutional provision
to back the claim that “recruitment of police personnel from time
immemorial has been done by the Inspector -General of Police,
(IGP)”.

He said it was the responsibility of the PSC to recruit police
personnel and not that of the IGP and that allowing the IGP to
conduct recruitment, would be usurping powers of the
commission.

Agabi prayed the court to grant all the reliefs sought by his
client in the suit.

Mr Alex Iziyon, SAN, canvassing arguments on behalf of the first
to third defendants, the Nigeria Police Force the IGP, and the
Minister of Police Affairs, described the suit as frivolous and
scandalous.

He urged the court to dismiss the suit saying it was an abuse of
court process.

For his part, Mr Terhemba Agbe, counsel for the Attorney-General
of the Federation, insisted that there was a distinction between
recruitment and appointment.

Agbe told the court that the AGF had advised both parties to
work in harmony, that the IGP should conduct recruitment into the
police and the names of those found worthy would be forwarded to
the PSC for appointment.

After hearing arguments from all parties, Justice Ekwo fixed Dec
4 for judgment and ordered that on the day of the judgement, no
employee of the police or PSC should be in the court gallery.

NAN