By our staff reporter
Chairman, Police Service (PSC), IGP Solomon Arase (retd.) has denied publication in the media quoting him as saying that a waiver for tenure extension of IGP Usman Baba by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will undermine the law.
The former police boss in a press statement issued by PSC Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani on Tuesday in Abuja, insisted that the appointment of the IGP was prerogative of the President.
The statement read in part, “The attention of the PSC has been drawn to a fictitious and obviously misleading story in the Vanguard of today, Tuesday, June 13, page 8, captioned “Uneasy calm in Police over Successor to IGP Baba”, where the Commission Chairman, Dr Solomon Arase, retired IGP was quoted to have granted an interview to one Evelyn Usman, a crime correspondent of the Newspaper.
“The correspondent,who supposedly interviewed some civil society chieftains in respect of the story went further to claim that Dr. Arase expressed similar views on the matter even when he was not contacted at all.
“The story claimed that the PSC Chairman supports the views that any likely waiver by Mr. President to grant tenure extension to the IGP would utterly undermine the law, the provisions of the Police Act, 2020 (amended) which provides in Section 18(8) of the Police Act, “That every police officer shall on recruitment or appointment serve the Nigeria Police Force for a period of 35 years or until he attains the age of 60 years whichever comes first.”
“That the Chairman is also in support that any such action could trigger avoidable tension within the system especially the Command structure of Police hierarchy, lower morale and disrupt the systematic movement of top officers in line with seniority and rank.”
Iyke added that, “The Commission wishes to state that its Chairman did not grant any interview to the said Evelyn Usman or direct any one to speak on his behalf on the issues raised above.
“Dr. Arase as a former and chairman of the commission is a member of the Police Council and is aware of the channels of communication as it relates to his advise/contribution in the appointment of an IGP.
“His view on this matter has never been in doubt as he has always said that it is the prerogative of Mr. President to appoint an Inspector General of Police with the endorsement of the Police Council which the President Chairs.
“The Commission demands a published retraction of this tendatious publication with apologies. The Commission holds the Vanguard Newspaper in high esteem and wishes to express serious concern on this development.
“For avoidance of any doubt, the commission wishes to restate that its chairman never spoke to the said Evelyn Usman.
“Dr. Arase is and has always been a media person and had been available at short notices for media interviews. Fabricating an interview and crediting stories to him is obviously in bad taste.”
