Buhari: Refusal to fire service chiefs is illegality — Shekarau

Kano Central senator Ibrahim Shekarau has told President Muhammadu Buhari that his refusal to fire the service chiefs is an affront to the law.

Nigerians have been calling on the president to sack the security chiefs over their said failure to keep the country safe. But Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu said no one can force the the president into making the decision.

Shekarau, on Thursday, said the service chiefs have overstayed their legally-allowed time of service and should, so, be let go.

“The President is breaking the law, the law says if you are 60 you must go, it is automatic,” Shekarau said.

“If you are 35-years in service, you must go. In fact, they are not staff of Mr. President, they are the staff of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and there is a rule,” said Senator Shekarau on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily.

The Senator’s call is coming after the Boko Haram massacre in Zabarmari has renewed agitations for the sacking of the Security Chiefs over their failure to perform as expected.

Shekarau, who was also a two-term Governor of Kano state said beyond the argument regarding performance, the Military Chiefs have overstayed their years of service and as such, the laws guiding the scheme of service are being flouted.

He said the question of the rule of law must be answered by the presidency, with regards to retaining the Service Chiefs as military is governed by a scheme of service which includes when to leave automatically.

The former education minister said none of the Service Chiefs has less than 35-years of service under their belt, a requirement which he says makes them eligible to have been retired.

“Even if Mr President has found them indispensable, he should allow them to retire just like any public service as the rule specifies and you can then hire them either as minister of defence, adviser of defence, NSA, etc.,” Shekarau added.