PSC approves retirement of police officers above 60 years, 35 years of service
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has ordered the immediate retirement of all senior police officers who have either exceeded 35 years of service or are above the age of 60.
This directive follows the ongoing controversy surrounding the tenure of Inspector General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, after he turned 60 years old. Despite the controversy, both the police and the Attorney General of the Federation have asserted that his continued stay in office is lawful.
A statement released on Friday by the PSC’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, highlighted that the commission reviewed its earlier position from the 24th plenary meeting in September 2017, which had allowed Force entrants to use their date of enlistment instead of their initial appointment date.
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However, the PSC has now reversed this decision, stating that it was inconsistent with Public Service Rule No. 020908 (i & ii), which mandates retirement upon reaching either 35 years in service or the age of 60.
“The Police Service Commission rose from its first extraordinary meeting with the approval for the immediate retirement of senior police officers who have spent more than 35 years in service and those above 60 years of age,” Ani said.
The decision follows the commission’s evaluation of its previous stance, which had allowed police officers to use their enlistment date for service length calculations. The commission stated that the earlier decision contradicted public service rules and violated the requirement for retirement at 35 years of service or 60 years of age.
Ani confirmed that the directive has been officially communicated to the Inspector General of Police for immediate implementation.
The PSC’s extraordinary meeting was presided over by the Commission Chairman, DIG Hashimu Argungu (ret.), and attended by key members, including retired Justice Adamu Paul Galumje and DIG Taiwo Lakanu (ret.), among others.