Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja on
Wednesday suspended the planned recruitment of 10,000 constables into the
Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The PSC in a matter with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1120/19 had
dragged the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police and the
Minister of Police Affairs as first, second and third respondents respectively
to the court.
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The PSC sought an interlocutory injunction restraining the
defendants, their officers and representatives including anybody or person
acting on their behalf from appointing, recruiting or attempting to appoint or
recruit by any means whatsoever any person into any office in the first
defendant pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The Nigeria Police in its verified Twitter handle @PoliceNG
had last week announced that members of the general public, particularly
candidates who participated in the recruitment exercise were advised to note
that the final list of successful candidates will be released only after the
receipt of the Recruitment Report and final vetting of the list by the
Inspector General of Police.
The court on Wednesday urged that all parties should stay
within the bounds of the law until the matter is decided.
When the matter came up for hearing, Counsel to the three
defendants, Dr Alex Izinyon SAN sought to join the Attorney General of the
Federation as fourth defendant in the matter, to which the lawyer to the PSC,
Kanu Agabi SAN agreed and Justice Ekwo adopted.
Ekwo had gone ahead to give the plaintiff four days from the
date of the order to amend, file and service the processes and the first to
third defendants another four days upon service by the plaintiff to amend file
and serve their processes.
A November 4, 2019 date was agreed for the matter to resume.
Ekwo then told the senior lawyers that they represent the cream of the inner bar and since they had decided to submit the issues between them to the court, all parties must respect the rule of law and stay within bounds until the matter is decided.
Source: The Nation