The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered the immediate reinstatement of an Assistant Commissioner of Police, James Idachaba, who was forced into retirement by the Police Service Commission (PSC).
Justice Mohammed Danjuma, who read the ruling, also overturned the commission’s requirement for Idachaba to repay eight years of his salary starting from August 1, 2025.
The ruling came after an appeal was filed by Idachaba’s lawyer, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, who challenged a previous decision made by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
On May 15, 2024, the industrial court had dismissed Idachaba’s case, where he argued against his forced retirement, stating that it was done without fair hearing.
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Idachaba explained that after being promoted to rank of an assistant commissioner of police in 2023, he discovered that his salary had been stopped following the PSC’s decision to retire him, claiming he was not formally informed about any allegations against him.
In his appeal, Ojukwu sought several remedies, arguing that both the retirement and the demand for salary repayment violated Idachaba’s right to a fair hearing and should be considered invalid.
He requested that the court order the PSC to reinstate Idachaba with all his rights and benefits starting from August 18, 2023.
However, the industrial court had previously ruled against Idachaba, stating that he did not prove his case well enough to convince the court to help him.
Unhappy with this outcome, Idachaba appealed on September 24, 2024, but the police opposed his appeal.
In Friday’s ruling, the panel of three judges agreed with Idachaba, stating that the case was valid and therefore successful.
They ordered that the earlier judgment from the industrial court be cancelled.
Additionally, they mandated the PSC to pay Idachaba a total of N2 million for the trouble caused by this situation.
