PSC Tackles Lopsided Deployment Of Commissioners Of Police
…Directs appointments of at least three female Command CPs
The Police Service Commission rose from its 21st Plenary Meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2023 decrying the current deployment of Commissioners of Police to State Commands, saying that it leaves much to be desired in reflecting the principle of equity and fairness to all geo-political zones of the country, stressing that the current statistics of such deployments was particularly against the North East and South East geopolitical zones.
The Commission specifically noted the disproportional distribution and lopsided deployment of Command Commissioners and resolved that it has become extremely important that a fair representation of all geo-political zones is always reflected in these deployments to eschew and address the feeling and sense of marginalisation and injustice by certain zones of the country in the Nigeria Police Force.
It therefore directed the Nigeria Police Force to be guided by the principle of Federal Character in both recruitment (at all levels) and deployment of its personnel at Management and Tactical levels to ensure balance, equity and fairness in the system.
Towards this end, the Commission approved new Policy guidelines for deployment of Management and Tactical Commanders in the Nigeria Police Force and the imperativeness for gender-sensitivity in the deployment of Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police to Zonal and state Command Headquarters.
The Commission’s meeting which was chaired by its Chairman, Dr. Solomon Arase, also resolved that henceforth request for deployment of Commissioners of Police to State Commands must ensure that the disadvantaged zones are considered first in the proposals to the Commission in order to redress the present imbalance and lopsided deployments skewed against the North-East and South-East regions of the country.
These were contained in a statement by Ikechukwu Ani, Head of Press and Public Relations of the Commission which also stated that the Commission at Plenary and relying on Section 6(e) and (7) of the Police Service Commission Act which empowers the Commission to ‘formulate and implement policies aimed at the efficiency and discipline in the Nigeria Police Force; and perform such other functions which in the opinion of the Commission are required to ensure the optimal efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force considered and approved the new Policy guidelines.
The Commission therefore resolved that all geo-political zones of the country must now have at least 15 percent representation in the deployment of Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to Zones, Commissioners of Police to State Commands and posting of Commanding Officers of Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism CTU and Special Protection Unit (SPU).
It further stated; “That all Police deployments to zones and Commands at both Management (Deputy Commissioners of Police and Assistant Commissioners of Police and Tactical levels (Commanding Officers) of PMF/SPU/CTU, must recognise our heterogeneity and reflect fairness and equity in terms of ethnicity and religion”.
The Commission therefore advised the Inspector General of Police to be guided appropriately by the Policy guidelines founded on principles of fairness and justice to all members of the NPF, stressing that it is also geared towards eliciting trust and confidence of the Nigerian people and taking ownership of their Police in showing greater understanding, cooperation and support to the NPF towards improved community safety and adequate internal security in Nigeria.
The Commission also noted the imperativeness of gender-sensitivity in the deployment of AIGs and CPs, saying that the continued practice of lopsided deployments of only male Police Officers to Zones and Commands with no fair consideration and representation of female Police Officers who are qualified for such positions.
According to the Commission; “This will in no time portray the Police as an organisation that is anti-woman empowerment and averse to women inclusivity in governance”.
Accordingly, the Commission considered and approved that at least three state Commands out of the 37 Commands must have female Police Officers as their Commissioners of Police adding that out of the seventeen Zonal Headquarters, at least one Zone must have a female AIG to head it.
The Commission also approved the appointment of two Deputy Inspectors General of Police, approved the promotion of 14 Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Assistant Inspectors General of Police which included CP Adebowale Williams, who was until his promotion, the Commissioner of Police Oyo State Command.
The Commission also approved the promotion of 22 Deputy Commissioners of Police to substantive Commissioners of Police and which also included DCP Enyinnaya Inonachi Adiogu, who was formally Deputy Commissioner Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi Lagos.
