Office of FCT police commissioner a legal aberration – Lawyer

An Abuja-based lawyer, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, has said the creation of the office of police commissioner for the Federal Capital Territory is an aberration of extant laws in the country and should be discontinued forthwith. In a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Jimoh said the establishment of the office of the Commissioner of Police […]

An Abuja-based lawyer, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, has said the creation of the office of police commissioner for the Federal Capital Territory is an aberration of extant laws in the country and should be discontinued forthwith.

In a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Jimoh said the establishment of the office of the Commissioner of Police for the FCT controlled and or headed by the Commissioner of Police, FCT, as well as the offices of Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners of Police for the FCT, is not in accordance with the provisions of Section 2 of the Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, which is to be cited with full citation as Cap. 516, Laws of FCT, 2006 referred to above) and Section 2 of the Police Act.

He said it is legally wrong for the Attorney-General of the Federation and a Commissioner of Police of the FCT to be in charge of the FCT rather, in compliance with Section 2 of the Act (i.e. the ‘Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act it shall be the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police.

“Section 2 provides thus: “Where a written law is expressed to be applicable to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as though it were a State, in its application, reference to the Attorney-General, a Commissioner, the Director-General or the Commissioner of Police of a State shall mean respectively in respect of the Federal Capital Territory-Abuja, the Attorney-General of the Federation, a Minister, a Director-General, or the Inspector-General of Police”, he argued.

He said his petition was pursuant to the provisions of sections 130 and 153 and Part I of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

Jimoh said if the anomaly is not corrected in 30 days, he would be left with no other option than to resort to the court of law to ensure and enforce compliance.

The Attorney General of the Federation, the Chairman, Police Service Commission and the Inspector General of Police were all copied in the letter.