The Nigeria Police Force has commenced the implementation of a landmark court judgment by recalling 475 senior police officers who were controversially retired under the disputed “merger of service” policy, marking one of the most significant reversals of a personnel decision in the Force’s recent history.
Among the recalled officers are Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Owohunwa Idowu, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Simon Asamber Lough, AIG Benneth Chinedu Igwe, AIG Uche Ifeanyi Henry and several Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, Chief Superintendents and Superintendents of Police.
The reinstated officers have now been directed to report for a compulsory six-month induction programme at the Police Staff College, Jos, as part of their formal reintegration into active service.
The directive was contained in a confidential letter dated July 31, 2026, signed by the Force Secretary, Assistant Inspector-General of Police Bode Akinbamilowo, on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police.
The letter, addressed to Assistant Inspectors-General across the country’s 17 police zones, Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as the Commandant of the Police Staff College, Jos, ordered all commands to immediately identify, notify and ensure that the affected officers report for the induction exercise without delay.
The recall follows the judgment of the National Industrial Court in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/28/2025, which nullified the controversial retirement of the officers and compelled the Police Service Commission (PSC) to reverse its earlier decision.
The officers were originally retired following a resolution reached at the PSC’s First Extraordinary Meeting held on January 31, 2025, where the Commission approved the implementation of the contentious merger of service policy. The policy generated widespread controversy within the Force, with many officers challenging its legality and arguing that it unlawfully truncated their careers.
Following months of legal battle, the National Industrial Court ruled in favour of the affected officers, forcing both the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Force to restore them to service.
The Force Headquarters subsequently acted on the resolutions reached during the PSC plenary meeting of June 25, 2026, approving the regularisation of the officers’ dates of first appointment in compliance with the court’s judgment.
According to the directive, the induction programme will be conducted in two phases. Documentation and arrival of participants commenced on August 1 and will end on August 16, while the six-month induction proper will run from August 17, 2026, to February 16, 2027.
The Inspector-General of Police also directed the Commandant of the Police Staff College to submit the list of documented participants on or before August 24, stressing that delays or failure to comply with the directive would not be tolerated.
The list of recalled officers cuts across several entry courses between 1992 and 2012, making it one of the largest single reinstatements of senior officers in the history of the Nigeria Police Force.
Official records accompanying the directive show that several of the recalled officers are already approaching their statutory retirement age. AIG Owohunwa Idowu is expected to retire by age on July 20, 2030, while AIG Benneth Chinedu Igwe is due for retirement on October 7, 2028. DCP Simon Asamber Lough is expected to retire by age on May 14, 2029.
Other prominent officers on the list include AIG Joseph O. Eribo, Commissioner of Police Fidelis Ndubuisi Ogarabe, CSP Sanusi Amiru, CSP Grace Idowu Agboola, CSP Angela Agabe, DCP Akinbayo Olasukami Olasoji, DCP Louis Chike Nwabuwa, ACP Benjamin Okehielam Okwara and CSP Rita A.A. Inoma-Abbey, among hundreds of others.
The directive further reveals that some of the officers have only a few months left before attaining the mandatory retirement age. ACP Benjamin Okwara is expected to retire in December 2026, while CSP Sanusi Amiru is due for retirement in February 2027.
Copies of the directive were forwarded to the Inspector-General’s Secretariat and all Deputy Inspectors-General in charge of Finance and Administration, Operations, Investigation, Logistics and Supply, Training and Development, Research and Planning, Intelligence, Information and Communication Technology, as well as the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Police Accounts and Budget to ensure the seamless implementation of the exercise.
The recall is expected to have far-reaching implications for the Nigeria Police Force’s personnel administration, as it effectively overturns one of the most contentious retirement exercises in recent years. Legal observers say the judgment reinforces the authority of the courts over administrative decisions affecting public servants and may shape future reforms in police career management.
For the affected officers, the development signals not only a return to active service but also a judicial vindication after months of uncertainty over careers that had been prematurely brought to an end under the controversial merger of service policy.