Daily Law Tips (Tip 729) by Onyekachi Umah, Esq., LL.M, ACIArb(UK)
Introduction:
The head of the Nigeria Police force is the Inspector General of Police (IGP). A police officer cannot be an Inspector General of Police (IGP) unless the police officer is appointed as the IGP by the President of Nigeria. However, the President of Nigeria cannot appoint any police officer as an Inspector General of Police (IGP) unless the police officer has certain statutorily approved qualifications.
Police Officers and the Qualification of an IGP:
In exercise of constitutional powers, the President of Nigeria is to appoint an Inspector General of Police (IGP), on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council. Not every police officer in the Nigeria Police Force can be appointed as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), because of certain statutory limitation (qualifications).
For a person to be appointed as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the person must be a serving police officer. The person must be of the rank of an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) or above. Also, the person must have an academic qualification that must be at least a first degree or its equivalent, in addition to having professional and management experience.
Conclusion:
Although the Inspector General of Police (IGP) must be appointed from serving members of the Nigeria Police Force, not every police office can be appointed as the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The Nigeria Police Act (a federal law made in 2020) has expressly stated the qualifications for the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), as shown above.
My authorities, are:
1. Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 214, 215 and 216 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
2. Sections 7, 8, 9, 136, 141 and 142 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020
3. Onyekachi Umah, “Can the Appointment of an Inspector General of Police be Extended?” (LearnNigerianLaws.com, 2 February 2021) <https://learnnigerianlaws.com/can-the-appointment-of-an-inspector-general-of-police-be-extended/> accessed 4 February 2021.
4. Onyekachi Umah, “Head of a Police Station Must Make Monthly Report of Arrests to a Magistrate” (LearnNigerianLaws.com, 24 August 2020) <https://learnnigerianlaws.com/head-of-police-station-must-make-monthly-report-of-arrests/ > accessed 17 November 2020.
5. Onyekachi Umah, “Police Stations Now Have Supervising Magistrates” (LearnNigerianLaws.com, 9 October 2020) <https://learnnigerianlaws.com/police-stations-now-have-supervising-magistrates/ > accessed 17 November 2020.
6. Chris Admin, “Onyekachi Umah Speaks To ChannelsTv On SARS & The New Police Act” (LearnNigerianLaws.com, 9 November 2020) <https://learnnigerianlaws.com/onyekachi-umah-speaks-to-channelstv-on-sars-the-new-police-act/> accessed 2 February 2021.
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