Dent On Promotion Galore As PSC Sacks 4 Senior Police Officers, Demotes 2
Over misconduct, acts unbecoming of public officers
4 AIGs now wear DIGs’ rank
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – What should have been promotion galore celebration in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) suffered serious dent as the Police Service Commission dismissed from service four senior Police Officers for grave misconduct and acts unbecoming of public officers.
Similarly, the Commission also reduced in rank two other Officers even as it handed punishments of severe reprimand and reprimand to four other officers, two in each category.
A statement by Head of Press and Public Relations in the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani said the PSC handed down the sanctions at its 10th plenary meeting that rounded up on Friday, December 18, 2020.
The meeting was presided over by the Commission Chairman, Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police, and the statement said; “a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), was dismissed for discreditable conduct, dishonesty and act unbecoming of a public Officer while a Superintendent of Police was also dismissed for conspiring with four others to vandalize a transformer and stealing. The Commission also directed that the Officer should be prosecuted.”
It also explained that two other dismissed Officers are a Deputy Superintendent of Police and an Assistant Superintendent of Police, adding that; “The DSP was said to have led a team that intercepted three Mercedes Benz trucks conveying about 300,000 live cartridges believed to have been smuggled across the border from Benin Republic into Nigeria. The team was said to have impounded the trucks at base for three days but made no entries nor a situation report of the arrest relayed.
“The DSP rather raised a fake letter purporting to escort the vehicles and suspects to Federal SARS Lagos with the dubious intention of ensuring their unlawful release. Luck however ran out of the team when they were intercepted at a Military checkpoint where soldiers on duty insisted on verifying the contents of the trucks. The DSP and his team were said to have abandoned the trucks and fled.”
Similarly, the statement said: “The ASP was dismissed for misappropriation, action prejudicial to the security of the state; sabotage; dishonesty and act unbecoming of a public officer.”
Furthermore, the Commission also treated several appeals and petitions even as it approved the promotion of four Assistant Inspectors General of Police to the substantive rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police during the plenary meeting.
The new DIGs, expected to represent their geo-political zones in the Police Management Team, are: AIG Usman Alkali Baba, currently acting DIG Administration; AIG Dan Mallam Mohammed, AIG in charge of Zone 13 Ukpo, Anambra State; AIG David Oyebanji Folawiyo, AIG in charge of Zone 17, Akure and Commissioner of Police Joseph Egbunike, who is in charge of Budget.
Additionally, 13 Commissioners of Police were elevated to the rank of AIG; 23 Deputy Commissioners to CP; 29 Assistant Commissioners to DCP; and 91 Chief Superintendents to Assistant Commissioners, including CSP Bello Dankal – DPO, Bagwai Division in Kano State.
Also, 599 Superintendents were promoted to CSPs which also include the Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra State, SP Haruna Mohammed; SP Usman Abdullahi Machika, 2i/c SPU Base 7 Abuja and SP Umar Adekunle Fagbemi 2i/c SIB, Rivers State.
