A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, said the police deserve commendation for heading for court over claim by pro-democracy campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is an illegal occupant of the position.

Mr Gadgi, a lawmaker from Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke federal constituency of Plateau State, said the police might have approached the activist’s claim differently, claiming Mr Sowore “was instigated to cause chaos” in the country.

“The police have the force and AK47 but they decided to take the matter to court, the judiciary, to interpret the position of the law and do justice to either the police or Sowore. If they have done that, we should be clapping for them,” Mr Gagdi said in a Thursday interview on Channels TV.  

The lawmaker described the decision of the police to seek judicial interpretation over the controversy as worthy of appreciation, stating Mr Sowore should be grateful.

He said, “What if they have kept him like others, arrested him or they don’t know where he is and what have you? That’s why I appreciate the law enforcement agency for respecting the provision of the law by not taking the laws in their hands. In this case, they decided to approach the competent jurisdiction of the law to say “should we keep him or not?”

Noting he personally saw to the success of the Police Act Amendment which he said was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Gadgi insisted the appointment of Mr Egbetokun was within the provision of the law.

The lawmaker further pledged to continue to defend Mr Egbetokun’s appointment, accusing Mr Sowore and other critics of “bringing tribal and regional sentiments into the matter.”

Meanwhile, the Police Service Commission on Friday mandated the immediate retirement of senior police officers who had served for more than 35 years or are above 60.  

The commission clarified it revisited its decision from the 24th plenary meeting in September 2017, which previously allowed force entrants to use their enlistment date instead of their initial appointment date, saying the decision had been conveyed to the Inspector General of Police for implementation.