President Muhammadu Buhari has violated the Police Act by secretly extending the service of his nephew and  Personal Chief Security Officer, Abdulkarim Dauda Daura.

Nigeria’s Police Act states that an officer is expected to retire from service after 35 years or when he attains the age of 60. The Act does not exclude an officer who has not attained the age of 60 but has served for 35 years from retirement.

Dauda, police commissioner was to retire this year, having enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Officer on January 1, 1985. The president however, extended his service to May 13, 2023 — two weeks to the expiration of the president’s term; by then, Dauda would have served for 38 years.

The memo authorizing the violation reads: “The President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and Chairman and Chairman Police Council has graciously approved the extension of service of CP Abdulkarim  Dauda to 13th May, 2023 when he would have attained sixty (60) years of age. COMPOL INFO-TECH only and amend your records please.”

The memo was signed by Usman Alkali Babe, the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Police Force Secretariat, where the memo emanated from.

Mr Dauda’s promotions from chief superintendent of police to commissioner were also subject of controversy.

A ranking police officer who spoke to DAILY NIGERIAN in confidence said, “the speed he got to commissioner from chief superintendent just between 2015 and 2019 is unprecedented in the Nigerian Police Force. The promotions were illegal. They only gave him favours because he is related to the president.”

Dauda was exposed in March via leaked audio befging former chairman of Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, to expedite the promotion of former police spokesperson, Moshood Jimoh.

In the same audio, Mr Okiro told him, “even your own, Even your own, I am putting you for CP“. Dauda was still a deputy comissioner at the time and barely four months after, he was decorated by the president as a police commissioner.

Spokesman for the Nigeria Police Force Frank Mba could not be reached for comment on this matter as he away in Awka for a training, and therefore his lines are “hardly reached”.