They said they were forcefully retired from service when some of them had not reached the age of 60 years and had yet to spend 35 years.
Some retired police officers have asked the National Industrial Court to immediately commit the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Alkali Baba, to prison for disobeying the court order.
The aggrieved officers are protesting the failure of Baba, to reinstate them back to service despite a court order to the effect.
The officers claimed they joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1996, 1999, and 2000.
They said they were forcefully retired from service when some of them had not reached the age of 60 years and had yet to spend 35 years.
The aggrieved officers made the call in a statement signed by one of them, Emmanuel Idris.
The National Industrial Court presided over by Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi, had on April 19, 2022, asked the IGP, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the force secretary of the police to reinstate the officers who were forcefully retired from office.
Justice Oyewumi gave the verdict in suit No. NICN/ABJ/281/2021, filed by Messrs Egong Egwu Egong, Omeh Felix Okechukwu, Paul Obot Umoh, and Galadima Bello, before the court.
Recall that the officers through their counsel had approached the court seeking an order to nullify their retirement from service by the Nigeria Police Force and the Police service Commission, PSC.
Their counsel, Godwin Okoro had asked the IGP, the police service commission, and the force secretary to show a cause why they should not be committed to prison for their refusal to obey a court order that reinstated the officers who were forcefully retired from service.
Although in a copy of a letter addressed to Mr Alkali Baba, signed by the court registrar, Mrs Rufai Zainab Ahmed, and dated January 23, 2023, the court warned the IGP and other defendants against disobeying court judgment or he would face the consequences which is imprisonment.
The notice read “Take Notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the Certificate of Judgment of the Court dated the 19th day of April 2022 you will be guilty of contempt of Court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
But speaking further on behalf of the aggrieved officers, Mr Idris in the statement said most of the members and graduates of Course 33, 34, and 35 of the Police Academy were affected by the disengagement from the service.
He explained that since the judgment was delivered, the IGP and other defendants in the case were yet to obey the court order reinstating them back to the service.
He said, "We were forcefully retired from the force when we were yet to attain the age of 60 years and some were retired when they were yet to spend 35 years in the police force.
"We approached the National Industrial Court, Abuja to challenge the action of the force against us and the court presided over by Hon. Justice Oyewumi Oyebiola gave an order that we should be reinstated but to our surprise, the police authority has not obeyed the court judgment up till today.
"It could be noted that the police took action against us because of the issue on our date of first appointment and the issue has been cleared by the court and there was no appeal on the court judgment.
"Incidentally the police authority had implemented the earlier judgments of the same court involving other police officers, but for inexplicable reasons, the authority refused bluntly to obey the judgment involving courses 33, 34 & 35.”