Court Vacates Order Stopping Reinstatement of Police Cadets, Officers Lament Unpaid Salaries
By Danjuma Malim
ABUJA — The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja has vacated an interim injunction stopping the reinstatement of police officers belonging to Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Courses 18, 19 and 20, following a legal dispute over their return to service.
Justice Buhari Sani, in a ruling delivered on Monday, September 28, 2026, set aside the September 22 order restraining the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission (PSC) from implementing the officers’ reinstatement.
The ruling followed an application in Suit No. NICN/KN/51/2026, filed by Advocacy for Human Rights and Cultural Values for Development Initiatives.
The court found that the applicant had failed to disclose material information relating to an earlier judgment of the National Industrial Court in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/28/2025, which had already been affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
Justice Sani consequently discharged the interim injunction on grounds that included lack of jurisdiction and abuse of court process.
The latest ruling has brought a fresh dimension to the controversy surrounding the reinstatement of the affected officers, many of whom have complained of unpaid salaries, poor welfare conditions and uncertainty over their future in the Nigeria Police Force.
The officers had earlier secured a favourable judgment at the Court of Appeal on April 14, 2026, following which the PSC approved their reinstatement through a letter dated June 29, 2026, with reference number PSC/2116/II/234.
Acting on the development, the Inspector-General of Police, in a letter dated July 31, 2026, directed the reinstated officers to undergo a six-month induction programme at the Police Staff College, Jos.
The training arrangement was subsequently modified, with officers from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and above directed to report to the National Institute of Police Studies (NIPS), Life Camp, Abuja, while those between Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and Superintendent of Police (SP) remained in Jos.
However, the programme reportedly encountered difficulties following complaints by some participants over their welfare and the non-payment of outstanding salaries.
Some of the affected officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that they had not received salaries since January 2025 and were undergoing the induction programme without feeding allowances.
They claimed that the situation had forced several participants to borrow money to meet their daily needs, while others were accommodated in overcrowded rooms, with between two and four officers sharing limited spaces.
The officers said their difficulties worsened when the September 22 interim injunction was served on participants at the training institutions on September 24.
According to them, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Training and Development subsequently directed participants at both the Police Staff College, Jos, and NIPS, Abuja, on September 25 to vacate their hostels immediately and return to their respective states.
The directive was reportedly issued in compliance with the interim injunction, which has now been set aside by the court.
The affected officers questioned the decision to suspend their induction programme despite the earlier Court of Appeal judgment and the PSC’s subsequent approval of their reinstatement.
Beyond the legal dispute, the officers also raised concerns over what they described as discriminatory treatment of Force Entrants under the Cadet ASP scheme.
They explained that the affected Force Entrants were serving junior police officers who obtained additional academic qualifications and successfully applied for admission into the Cadet ASP programme following its advertisement.
According to them, successful applicants drawn from different professional backgrounds, including the military, teaching profession, vehicle inspection services and the Nigeria Police Force, underwent the same 18-month training before graduating together.
They alleged that the subsequent distinction between Force Entrants and Direct Entrants had created divisions within the Force and resulted in unequal treatment of officers who underwent identical training.
The officers maintained that their reinstatement was backed by judicial decisions and questioned the circumstances surrounding the fresh legal action that temporarily disrupted their induction.
They appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association and civil society organisations to intervene in the lingering controversy and ensure that the judgments concerning their reinstatement are implemented.
They also called for the payment of their outstanding salaries and the resolution of welfare concerns affecting participants in the induction programme.
The officers warned that allowing the controversy to persist could deepen divisions within the police and undermine morale and operational effectiveness.
With the interim injunction now vacated, attention has shifted to the police authorities and the PSC over the next steps regarding the affected officers and the continuation of their induction programme.
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