Four senior police officers have been dismissed by the Police Service Commission (PSC) over cases of serious misconduct and acts unbecoming of public officers.
Also, the PSC reduced the ranks of two other officers, while also punishing two with severe reprimand and two others with reprimand.
This was disclosed by the
Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani on Sunday, December 20,2020.
Ani stated that the PSC took the decisions at its 10th plenary meeting, presided over by the Chairman, Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police, and which came to an end on Friday, December 18, 2020.
According to Ani, a Chief Superintendent of Police, whose name was not disclosed, “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,” PSC’s Head of Press and Public Relations said.
He further disclosed that two other dismissed officers were a Deputy Superintendent of Police and an Assistant Superintendent of Police. According to him, the DSP had 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 their base for three days, but made no entries, neither was 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 on 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.
“The ASP was dismissed for misappropriation, action prejudicial to the security of the state; sabotage; dishonesty and act unbecoming of a public officer,” Ani said.
He added that the Commission also treated several appeals and petitions.
Stating further, Ani said that the PSC has also 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 are expected to represent their geo-political zones in the police management team.
He gave the names of the new DIGs as Usman Alkali Baba, currently acting DIG Administration; Dan Mallam Mohammed, AIG in charge of Zone 13 Ukpo, Anambra State; David Oyebanji Folawiyo, AIG in charge of Zone 17, Akure and CP Joseph Egbunike, in charge of budget.
Thirteen Commissioners of Police were also elevated to the rank of AIG, 23 Deputy Commissioners to CP, 29 Assistant Commissioners to DCP, 91 Chief Superintendents of Police to Assistant Commissioners, and 599 Superintendents of Police promoted to CSPs.
