The Inspector-General of Police has ordered the immediate suspension of a six-month induction course for reinstated senior police officers, following a ruling by the National Industrial Court, The Punch reported.
According to a police wireless message dated September 25, 2026, and addressed to the Police Staff College, Jos, and the National Institute of Police Studies, Abuja, affected participants have been directed to vacate the training premises with their personal effects.
The suspension comes in the wake of a ruling delivered by Justice Buhari Sani of the National Industrial Court in Abuja on September 28, 2026. The court set aside an earlier ex parte order granted on September 22, which had restrained police authorities and the Police Service Commission from implementing the reinstatement of Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police from Courses 18, 19, and 20.
Justice Sani ruled that the initial order was issued based on a “misapprehension of the true state of affairs” due to the applicant’s failure to disclose a material fact: an existing Court of Appeal-affirmed judgment (Suit No. NICN/ABJ/28/2025) mandating the officers’ reinstatement.
The reinstated personnel—including high-ranking officers such as AIG Owohunwa Idowu, AIG Benneth Chinedu Igwe, and DCP Simon Asamber Lough—had previously been affected by a January 2025 retirement directive.
Their reinstatement and the subsequent regularisation of their service dates follow compliance with the court-backed provisions of the Police Act, 2020. Following the latest court decision dismissing the challenge against their return, police authorities have temporarily halted the mandatory induction training pending further legal developments.
Source: The PUNCH
