The former Deputy Inspector General of Police who served in the ICT, Research and Development unit, is challenging his compulsory retirement, which occurred before he reached the mandatory retirement tenure of 35 years in service or the age limit of 60 years.
Retired DIG Jitoboh is seeking a declaration from the National Industrial Court that his retirement was wrongful, unconstitutional, and unlawful. He claims that his forced retirement blatantly violated Rule 020810 of the Public Service Rules and Section 18 (8) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.
In addition to this, DIG Jitoboh is requesting the court to direct the PSC to pay him ₦500 million as general damages for the unwarranted embarrassment caused by his termination, which he believes wrongly portrayed him as a disloyal officer. He is also seeking an additional ₦50 million to cover the costs of prosecuting the ongoing legal action.
Furthermore, he noted that, according to Section 4 (3) of the Police Service Commission Act, 2001, the PSC does not have a valid board to make decisions related to the retirement or promotion of police officers since the PSC Board's tenure ended in July 2023.
He asserts that he was and remains an officer of the Nigeria Police Force until June 10, 2029, when he would have completed 35 years in service and would be entitled to retire with his full salaries, emoluments, and all other benefits due to him.
It's worth noting that the PSC had announced the compulsory retirement of DIG Jitoboh and three other DIGs on August 28, 2023, based on the practice of retiring officers when a junior police officer is promoted over senior officers to prevent 'status reversal.'
