A group of over 30 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating across Nigeria has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Dr. Solomon Arase, without stating the reasons for such removal.
The group is also concerned that the removal appears to have violated the established legal procedure for the removal of the PSC Chairman. Section 5, subsection 1 of the PSC Act provides that, “Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4 of this Act, the Chairman and any other member may at any time be removed from office by the President acting on an address supported by a two-thirds majority of the Senate praying that he be removed for inability to discharge the functions of the Office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any other cause of misconduct).”
Arase, a retired Inspector General of Police, who came into office in 2023 under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, was sacked from office earlier this week.
The CSOs, in a statement on Wednesday signed by over 30 member groups, expressed worry that such a decision by the president further undermines the independence, effectiveness, and confidence of the Commission to discharge its mandate without undue interference as stipulated by the Police Service Commission Act.
The statement read, “Civil society is saddened that this is coming at a time when we are investing a lot of resources in support of the Federal Government towards police reform, which can be seen through various trainings supported by local and international partners and the recent recruitment of 10,000 police personnel.
“While we welcome this recruitment, we are worried about the renewed and needless controversy associated with the power games around police recruitment, despite the Supreme Court‘s judgment of July 11, 2023, which affirmed the power of the commission under the Police Service Commission (Establishment) Act, 2001 to handle police recruitment functions.
“We also note that Section 6 (2) of the PSC Act stipulates that, ‘The Commission shall not be subject to the direction, control or supervision of any other authority or person in the performance of its functions other than as is prescribed in this Act.’
“We believe that this controversy does not serve the interest of the NPF as an institution or the interest of the country.
“Today, Nigerians are celebrating Democracy Day. One of the fundamental attributes of a democratic system is respect for the rule of law and due process, thus Mr. President should holistically address this issue.”
The coalition called on the President to reverse the removal of the Chairman of the PSC and fully constitute the Board of the Commission.
“We also call for a conclusion of the police recruitment process, including training and deployment, considering that even the IGP stated recently that more than 20,000 police personnel need to be recruited annually to boost police manpower requirements. The number for recruitment can also be boosted through the Cadet ASP short course.
“We will use this opportunity to also call on the National Assembly to maximize its powers of checks and balances over actions by the Executive.
“The total disregard for the rule of law in this instance further fuels the fears of the Nigerian people about the vulnerability of the operations of the Nigeria Police by the political class. This is not good for our democracy and standing in the comity of nations.
“We are looking forward to a quick and positive resolution of the situation for the good of a thriving democracy and the good of the country,” they said.
Among the CSOs that signed the statement was the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Center (RULAAC), NOPRIN Foundation, Open Society on Justice Reform Project, Confluence of Rights, Nigeria, Criminal Justice Network of Nigeria, Justice for Peace and Development Initiative, Legal Resources Consortium, Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding – Kaduna, Rural and Urban Development Initiative, Dataphyte Foundation, Equity International Initiative (EII), Centre for Youth Participation Dialogue and Advocacy (CYPA), Africa, Advocacy Hub International, Initiative for Research, Innovation, and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD), Human Right Advocacy and Monitoring Group (HURAMG), Creative Minds Center for Youth and Community Development (CM-CYCD), Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), Kuyimiki Development Initiative (KDI), and Centre for the Advocacy of Justice and Rights.
Others include Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Koyenum Immalah Foundation, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), African Focus For Youth Development (AFFYD), Gurara Youth Foundation, Council for Affirmative Action (COFAA), Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor Executive Director, Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria), Human Right Advocacy and Monitoring Group (HURAMG), Benevolent Initiative for Development (BID4DEV) Nigeria, African Peace Initiative, Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI), Health for the Society Justice and Peace Initiative, Centre for Citizens Rights, and Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF).
