Fresh Storm Gathers Over Egbetokun as MURIC Tells Him to Leave Now!
…Says Tenure extension for IGP breeds inefficiency, division and erodes confidence in the system
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has strongly advised the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, to bow out honorably now before the controversy over the tenure elongation granted him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gets messy and rubbish his sterling record of service.
In a statement issued on Monday by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC said that the tenure elongation for the IGP would erode efficiency, breed division within the force, and diminish public confidence in the system.
While it admitted that Egbetokun has accomplished a lot since he mounted the saddle as IGP in June 2023, MURIC insisted that the IGP should yield to the age-old wisdom which says that real heroes leave the stage when the ovation is loudest.
President Tinubu appointed Egbetokun, a former Commissioner of Police for Kwara State, as the IGP in June 2023 for a period of four years.
By the old Police Act, Egbetokun would have attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 by September 4, 2024, just one year and three months into his tenure as IGP.
But the President rushed an executive bill to the National Assembly to amend the Act with a clause that says “any person appointed to the office of Inspector General of Police shall remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment in line with the provisions of Section 7(6) of this Act.”
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives worked on the bill with the speed of light, passing it within days.
But regardless of the backing of the amended Act, MURIC maintained that Egbetokun yielding to the tenure elongation bait would be counter-productive for a security institution that has just started gaining public confidence through effective policing.
It, therefore, advised the IGP to quit while people are still clapping with both hands for him.
Here is the statement by MURIC: “Our attention has been drawn to the ongoing controversy over the tenure elongation given to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun who attained retirement age of 60 years on 4th September 2024 but whose tenure was extended by the Police Service Commission (PSC) after the Police Act was amended.
“For whereas Section 18(8) of the Act says: ‘Every police officer shall, on recruitment or appointment, serve in the Nigeria Police Force for a period of 35 years or until he attains the age of 60 years, whichever is earlier’, the amended part stated, ‘Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-section (8) of this section, any person appointed to the office of Inspector General of Police shall remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment in line with the provisions of Section 7(6) of this Act.’
“An executive bill passed by both the green and red houses on the same day paved way for a new Section 18(8A) of the Police Act to enforce Section 7(6) of the Act.
“While conceding the fact that the issue of the extension of the IGP’s tenure does not fall within the immediate ambit of promoting and protecting Allah-given fundamental human rights of Nigerian Muslims which is the main focus of MURIC, there is no gainsaying the fact that the matter has a bearing on the security and welfare of all Nigerians of whom Muslims are an integral part.
“We nurse the fear that the tenure extension given to the IGP is capable of eroding efficiency, breeding division within the force and diminishing public confidence. This is not good enough for a security institution that has just started gaining public confidence through effective policing.
“With the exception of a few bad eggs, the police institution has tremendously improved the security architecture of Nigeria in recent time. Hundreds of kidnap victims have been rescued while several high-profile crimes have been solved. This tempo should be maintained while anything capable of dampening the morale of serving policemen should be avoided at this time.
“As the 22nd IGP, Egbetokun will be remembered for improved security network in his own time. Our sincere advice is that he should bow out now before this controversy gets messy and a hitherto clean record gets tarnished. Real heroes leave the stage while the ovation is loudest.”
For some years now, controversy had dogged the tenures of successive Inspector-Generals of Police. Tempers had flared over IGP’s continued stay in office well past the prescribed 35 years of service or the mandatory retirement age of 60.
Former IGPs Mohammed Abubakar, Ibrahim Idris, Mohammed Adamu and Usman Baba had a bitter taste of protests by civil society groups and other stakeholders who relentlessly raised dust over attempts to illegally extend their tenures. Now, Egbetokun is having his share of the agitation.
However, record shows that while the presidency yielded to public outcry against the attempts to extend the tenures of Abubakar and Idris, it had its way on Adamu, Baba and Egbetokun.
But only time would tell how far Egbetokun can ride the current storm swirling around his continued stay in office.