The Federal Government said on Wednesday that Usman Baba, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), would not step down in the middle of the 2023 general elections, which will begin on February 25.
This was said by the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, to the media on Wednesday in Abuja following the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
According to him, the IGP has a four-year term that is not subject to termination due to retirement age under the Police Act of 2020.
He said, “By the provision of the Police Act 2020, the IG is now supposed to have a kind of four-year period and Mr President has already given him letter of appointment in that regard.
“So, the issue of IG going out during this election period does not arise.”
Baba will reportedly turn 60 on March 1. Baba was appointed as the police chief by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 6, 2021.
There have been worries about the IGP perhaps leaving the Force during the 2023 elections. The gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections will take place on March 11 while the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for February 25.
A draft bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Police Force College Training School and Institutions was approved by the FEC, according to Dingyadi.
He claims that the Act will not permit the creation of new training institutions, but rather will provide legal support for roughly 20 already existing ones across the country.
He said that based on investigations done by its officers, the amount of corruption inside the police has greatly decreased, and he also mentions that the draft bill will further contribute to the threat’s elimination.