Appointment of Baba as IGP unconstitutional, nepotistic –Ozekhome

Human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has described as unconstitutional and nepotistic, the appointment of Usman Alkali Baba as acting Inspector-General of Police.

Ozekhome stated this in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday titled, ‘Buhari’s Northernisation Of The Nigeria Police Force’.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), through the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammad Dingyadi, had on Tuesday appointed Baba to succeed Mohammed Adamu.

Adamu, whose tenure ended in February after completion of his mandatory 35 years of service, got a three-month extension by the President but he had only spent about two months out of the three-month extension when he was replaced.

Reacting, Ozekhome, who had earlier kicked against the extension of the tenure of Adamu, said going by “paragraph 7 to the 3rd Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, the President cannot single-handedly appoint an IGP, as he has again unconstitutionally and illegally done.

“He can only do so in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Council comprising of Mr President as chairman, all the 36 state Governors, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission and the IGP.

“Such an appointment as just happened before the new Acting IGP is capricious, arbitrary, whimsical, unconscionable, illegal, unlawful, wrongful and unconstitutional. It eulogises strong men rather than strong institutions. Punch