The Police Service Commission has backed the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, asking policemen aged 60 and those who have spent 35 years in service to immediately tender letters of voluntary retirement.
The PSC urged the affected police officers to obey the IG’s directive and proceed on retirement.
A memo containing Egbetokun’s directive read, “Cooperation with other govt bodies x in compliance with the directive of the honourable chairman, Police Service Commission, the IGP directs you draw the attention of all members of the force to the emerging and disturbing trend in the Nigeria Police Force wherein officers upon attainment of 35 years in service or 60 years of age refuse to proceed on retirement.
“This is contrary to the provisions of the public service rule (PSR) 020810 i & ii which provides that the mandatory retirement age for all grades in the service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service no officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement of 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier all actions taken by the said officers for the Nigeria police are null and void as a result of expiration of service duration.
“Accordingly you are to immediately extract a letter of voluntary retirement from such officers. The police authorities need to publish all officers that have violated their service retirement age.”
Confirming the development in an exclusive telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, noted that failure of the affected officers to proceed on retirement is a breach of Public Service Rule.
Ani said, “The retirement age for public service is 60 years or 35 years of service, so it’s not something new, when you’re 60, you retire.
“What the IG is advising is that they should put in their retirement letters, and they should know the consequences if they don’t. You can’t work beyond 60 years in the Nigerian Public Service, it’s against the Public Service rule, and they don’t need to be told.”
Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, denied knowledge of such order, he directed our correspondent to contact the PSC, while claiming that the IG didn’t give the directive.
Adejobi said, “I am not aware of any order of such from the IGP. Nothing like that came from the office of the IGP. Perhaps you find out from the PSC.”
(Punch)
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