The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the law permits him to remain in office till either 2023 or 2024.
He said this in his court documents filed to counter a suit challenging the three-month extension granted him by President Muhammadu Buhari in February.
On Monday obtained the counter-affidavit and the notice of preliminary objection along with the accompanying documents filed by the IGP through his lawyer, Alex Izinyon, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Mr Adamu attained a maximum of 35 years in service on February 1 but got a three-month extension of his tenure by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 3.
An Abuja-based lawyer, Maxwell Opara, filed a suit on the same February 3 to challenge the tenure extension.
Mr Opara argued in his suit that by virtue of section 215 of the Nigerian Constitution and section 7 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, Mr Adamu could not validly continue to function as the IGP having retired as a member of the Nigeria Police Force as from midnight of February 1, 2021.
But Mr Adamu argued through his lawyer, in objection to the suit, that his tenure never lapsed on February 1.
The IGP argued that the new Nigeria Police Act gave him a four-year tenure which would only lapse in either 2023 or 2024.
According to him, his tenure will lapse in 2023 if counted from 2019 when he was appointed as the IGP, or 2024, if counted from 2020 when the new Nigeria Police Act came into force.
