President Bola Tinubu has approved that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, remain in office until 2027. Against the backdrop of reports that his tenure was extended, a senior police source, who requested anonymity, clarified that the letter was not an extension but rather a confirmation that he should complete the four-year tenure as originally stated in his letter of appointment.

The source said, “The tenure of the IGP was not extended, rather a clarification on his letter of appointment that stipulated four years in office.” In July, the National Assembly passed the Police Act Amendment Bill to enable a person appointed to the office of IGP to remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment.

Tinubu forwarded the bill to the House of Representatives and Senate to amend the tenure of the IGP. The bill was expeditiously passed by lawmakers in both the green and red chambers at separate sittings.

The President appointed Egbetokun as the IGP in June 2023 for four years. He was appointed alongside four new service chiefs. According to Section 18(8) of the Police Act 2020, Egbetokun, born on September 4, 1964, is expected to retire in September 2024, when he clocks 60.

At the moment, Egbetokun has been in office for one year and three months, with two years and nine months remaining of his four-year appointment. The controversy about the tenure of IGP did not start with Egbetokun. That of his predecessor, Usman Baba, was not different. Baba clocked 60 in March 2023 and attained the mandatory 35 years of service, but he remained in office till Tinubu appointed Egbetokun as his replacement three months later.

Egbetokun, clocking 60 years today, should have had his last day at work, yesterday. But Tinubu reportedly pressed the National Assembly to revise the law in July, then he gave Egbetokun a three-year extension on Monday. On July 23, the National Assembly led by Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas hastily passed the bill to amend the Police Act 2020.

Earlier that day, the House of Representatives had approved the Police Act Amendment Bill to allow the occupant of the Office of the IGP to remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in his/her letter of appointment. On the same day, the Senate also took the same action following an appeal by the Presidency that Egbetokun be allowed to continue serving his four-year term in office despite that he would attain the age of 60 on September 4.

Sixty years is the retirement age for civil servants in Nigeria. During the session, however, the Senate modified Section 18 of the original Nigerian Police Act of 2020 by adding a new Sub-Section (8A) to it: “Notwithstanding any other provision, every police officer shall serve in the Nigeria Police Force for 40 years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first.”

Section 18 (8) of the Nigeria Police Act 2020, however, still states: “Every police officer, upon recruitment or appointment, is required to serve in the Nigeria Police Force for a maximum of 35 years or until they reach the age of 60, whichever occurs first.”

With this, and despite attaining the age of 60, Egbetokun is not expected to quit office as IGP anytime soon. This also means he is expected to remain Nigeria’s IGP beyond the age of 60.

Interestingly, the bill reportedly passed first, second, and third readings in under 20 minutes at the Senate.This was done despite the argument raised by Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) that the amendment contradicted existing provisions and suggested stepping down the bill for further consultations.