By Emmanuel Uffot
The Police Service Commission, PSC has approved the promotion of no fewer than 8000 police officers in what could be seen as the highest promotion haul in the Force in recent years.
According to the Head, Press and Public Relations of PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, three Commissioners of Police were promoted to Assistant Inspectors General of Police, 10 Assistant Commissioners of Police to Deputy Commissioners of Police, 12 Superintendent of Police to Chief Superintendent of Police and 76 Deputy Superintendent of Police to Superintendent.
Also benefiting from the promotion largesse are 139 Assistant Superintendent of Police that have been promoted to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Similarly, Ani disclosed that the Police Service Commission approved the promotion of 7,981 Inspectors of Police to the next rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police.
The beneficiaries according to Ani were products of the last Departmental Selection Board. And the final decision to reward the personnel with the promotion was taken at the second plenary of the PSC held recently at the Police Academy in Kano.
The approval of the promotion and the ratification has been conveyed to the Acting Inspector General Ibrahim Abubakar Adamu.
The promotion which is the first to be effected by the current constituted Police Service Commission headed by Musiliu Smith, retired Inspector General of Police and the first to be done under the leadership of Adamu as acting Inspector General is coming on the heels of an increase in the wages and allowance of policemen which was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari before the General Election.
Among those that have benefited in the promotion include Jona Jackson Mva, Olushola Bbajide David and Titus Larmode, all Commissioners of Police promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police.Also named are Rudolf Obe ans Danladi Lalas of the Air Wing who were promoted to acting CPs. Among the ACPs that have elevated to Deputy Commissioner of Police Frank Mba, the Force Public Relations Officer.
Also among the beneficiaries is Moses Gana, Onyeamu Onyeamu, Chinedu Ugwu and Egbe Edun all Chief Superintendent of Police moved to ACPs. Among DSPs promoted to SPs are Atiku Ibrahim, Personal Assistant to the acting Inspector General of Police, Florence Odewo, MOhammed Idris, Ojo Abraham and Abraham Ogedengbe
Chinemelum Batholomew, Jeremaih Zumnan, Adewale Ajibuwa and Saviour Etetim were among the over 7000 Inspectors of Police elevated to ASPs
Also recalled that in a bid to boost the manpower shortage in the Force, the PSC had also recently approved the recruitment of 10,000 policemen into the force.
The mass promotion in the police which many see as a reward for their services runs in contrast to what is happening in the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS where the Comptroller General Hameed Ali, a retired Colonel has not released the promotion of officers and men of the Service who had gone for promotion course since last year without having their promotion released.
