Police recruitment saga: IGP’s lawyer threatens to withdraw from court case
Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), counsel to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, on the ongoing suit between Police Service Commission (PSC) and his client IGP over recruitment of 10,000 officers, on Monday, threatened to withdraw from the case.
The lead counsel, Dr. Izinyon, informed the presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, of his intention to withdraw his service amidst arguments over the police violation of an order of court regarding the matter.
Justice Ekwo had, on October 23, when the case came up, ordered the IGP and the PSC to maintain a status quo on the alleged usurpation of Police Service Commission functions by the IGP’s controversial recruitment and adjourned the matter till November 4 for mention.
PSC had brought the matter before the court, asking it to stop Adamu from continuing the recruitment exercise for usurping the power of the commission.
The PSC had thought that the order of the court would stop the IGP from proceeding with the recruitment exercise until the determination of the substantive suit.
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However, at the Monday’s sitting, Counsel to the PSC, Barth Ogar, told Justice Ekwo that despite the court’s order restraining the IGP from continuing with the recruitment exercise, the police had called on the recruited officers to report to various Police Training Schools in the country.
“My Lord issues have come up in the fact that the police went ahead to carry out the recruitment exercise despite the court’s order,” he said.
Justice Ekwo, who adjourned the case till November 11, held that the earlier status quo pronounced in the last hearing should be respected.
Izinyon, however, informed the court that since the recruitment exercise had reached a certain stage, the court should not have maintained the status quo stand.
Unhappy with the judge’s decision, he, thereafter, threatened to withdraw from the case if Justice Ekwo did not avail him the opportunity to justify his stance like he did to his colleague, Ogar.
