The Senate on Tuesday expeditiously considered and passed “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Police Act, 2020, obviously extending the tenure of the Inspector General-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun in office.
Contrary to the Principal Act of 2020 which stipulates a four-year tenure for an IG, the amendment bill seeks to retain any person appointed into the office of the IGP to remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment.
Acting on a letter from President Bola Tinubu, the Senate on Tuesday, with the “speed of light” expeditiously considered and passed for third reading the executive bill that seeks to amend the Police Act 2020.
In his lead debate, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele explained that the proposed legislation seeks to retain a person appointed to the office of Inspector-General of Police to remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment.
To achieve this, the Senate retained Section 18 of the Principal Act 2020, but inserted a new subsection 8A that makes it mandatory for the IGP to spend 4 years in office, notwithstanding if he has attained retirement age of 60 or has spent 35 years in service as enshrined in the civil service rules.
If assented into law by President Bola Tinubu, which he is most likely to do since it an executive bill, the current Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun will be the chief beneficiary.
Egbetokun who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in 2023 is expected to retire from the Nigeria Police Force on September 4, 2024.
However, with this amendment, Egbetokun can now remain in office until 2027.
Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West), in his contribution said the proposed amendment runs contrary to the constitution and asked that the bill should be stepped down for further consultations, but this was ignored.
The upper chamber shunned all attempts to stop the bill, passing it first, second and third reading “expeditiusly”.