The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has ordered the immediate suspension of the ongoing six-month induction course for reinstated senior police officers following a ruling by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
The directive instructed the affected officers undergoing training at the Police Staff College in Jos, Plateau State, to vacate the premises immediately with their personal belongings.
The order was contained in a police wireless message dated September 25, 2026, addressed to the Police Staff College, Jos, and the National Institute of Police Studies in Abuja. A copy of the message was reportedly obtained by a correspondent on Friday.
The message, which was also copied to the office of the Inspector-General of Police, directed the temporary suspension of the induction programme in connection with the court proceedings.
“INGENPOL directs you to temporarily suspend ongoing six-month induction course for reinstated senior officers,” the message partly read.
It added that all participants should leave the training premises with their personal effects with immediate effect.
Court Sets Aside Earlier Injunction
The development followed a ruling delivered on September 28, 2026, by Justice Buhari Sani of the National Industrial Court, Abuja, in suit number NICN/KN/51/2026.
The case was instituted by the Advocacy for Human Rights and Cultural Values for Development Initiatives against the Inspector-General of Police and five other defendants.
In its ruling, the court set aside an earlier ex parte order issued on September 22, 2026, which had restrained the police authorities and the Police Service Commission from implementing the reinstatement of Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) from Courses 18, 19 and 20.
The court also struck out the applicant’s motion ex parte dated September 18, 2026, describing it as lacking merit and constituting an abuse of court process.
Justice Sani explained that the earlier injunction was granted based on a misapprehension of the circumstances surrounding the case.
According to the judge, the applicant failed to disclose material facts concerning an existing judgment of the National Industrial Court on the reinstatement of the affected officers.
Court Cites Existing Judgment
The judge noted that the decision being challenged was not merely an administrative action by the police authorities but was connected to an existing judgment of the National Industrial Court in suit number NICN/ABJ/28/2025.
The judgment had reportedly been affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
Justice Sani emphasised that the existence of a subsisting judgment from a court of competent jurisdiction significantly affected the legal considerations surrounding the application for an injunction.
“The presence of a subsisting judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction fundamentally alters the legal landscape,” the judge held.
He further explained that a court could not restrain the implementation of a valid and subsisting judgment as though it were an unlawful administrative decision.
The court consequently set aside the September 22 injunction, removing the interim legal restriction that had prevented the police authorities from implementing the reinstatement decision.
The subsequent suspension of the induction course has, however, halted the training programme, with the affected officers directed to leave the Police Staff College in Jos.
Background to the Officers’ Reinstatement
The affected officers are graduates of Cadet ASP Courses 18, 19 and 20 who were previously retired before their subsequent reinstatement.
Their return to service followed legal proceedings concerning their retirement and reinstatement, including a judgment of the National Industrial Court that was reportedly affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
The dispute has centred on the interpretation of the applicable retirement provisions and the legal effect of earlier court decisions concerning the officers.
The September 28 ruling set aside the interim injunction that had temporarily restrained the police authorities and the Police Service Commission from implementing the reinstatement decision.
The latest directive ordering the suspension of the six-month induction course requires the affected officers to vacate the training premises pending further developments.
