A former member of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Ms. Comfort Obi says that the Commission approves promotions of only those recommended by the Inspector-General of police (I-GP).
Obi, who made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, stressed that there was no truth in the story currently trending in the social media that the Commission carried out illegal promotions.
She said that the Commission had never selected any police personnel for promotion as only the I-GP has the prerogative to submit names of those he considers qualified to be elevated or demoted.
“The I-GP is in charge of Operations. He knows his men. Recommendations come from him to the PSC for Promotions. The commission had never picked individuals for promotion or for disciplinary action.
“There is no truth that some officers paid the commission to be promoted. I challenged anyone with such evidence to show it to the public. If such payment was made at the Force headquarters, I am not aware too,” she said.
On the promotion of some officers in 2018 who were also promoted in 2017, Obi said that the I-GP recommended them for such elevation due to their special performance in their assignments.
She said that some officers were also promoted based on the office they occupied and geo-political zone, stressing that the recent list included those who arrested suspected kidnapper, Evans.
“To the best of my knowledge, the officers they are talking about are those involved in, and with the tracking and arrest of Evans. Officer like Abba Kyari and his men. They are doing well. They were recommended and we approved.
“The Force Police Public Relations Officer was given acting capacity rank to be at per with sisters’ agencies spokesmen. It is wrong for the force spokesman to be on a lower rank when his colleagues in sister’s agencies are of higher ranks.
“Even in acting rank, you are not paid the salary of such rank. Some officers protested when the Commissioner of police in Lagos State, CP Imohimi Edgal was promoted from DC to CP.
“I don’t know Edgal before this time, but we discovered that his geo-political zone has no CP and above all, there is Edgal’s Course mate who is a DIG.
“There are 10 AIGs that are Edgal’s mates. He had passed all his exams and no query in his file.
“Some people also protested against Magu’s promotion despite the enormous job he is doing. Even though it is the responsibility of the PSC to promote, it does so only when the I-GP recommends it,” Obi said.
She debunked the story that some officers sacked for more than 10 years were recalled and promoted over serving officers, stressing that anyone out of service for four years, except by court order, cannot be re-admitted into the Force.
Obi said that when such person is called back, the commission would turn their dismissal to retirement without allowing such person into the system.
On the last police recruitment by JAMB, Obi said that no Arabic questions were set for the police personnel, noting, however, that there were instructions to the men on which of the subjects they should attend.
“It is not true JAMB used Arabic to set questions for our last recruits. In same question paper, there were Arts, Agriculture and Arabic questions.
“Those subjects were meant for other people by JAMB not police personnel. They were instructed to ignored them. It is not true the I-GP favoured his people in the recruitment,” she explained.
On disciplinary measures against unprofessional officers, Obi said many were dismissed, including a DIG, some reduced in rank, reprimanded, stressing that the I-G also made their recommendations to PSC.
No fewer than 3, 660 officers were promoted in May.
