Tension in Police over Postings Reversals.
Indications have emerged of palpable tension in the Nigerian Police force following what officers have described as outright witch-hunting of officers from a section of the country and open favouritism for officers from a particular section of the country.
Also, over 70 per cent of the postings of officers carried out by the last administration of the force are being reversed against the Police Act and rules which stipulates that such reversals can only be carried out after a minimum of 6 months in their new positions.
“A worrying aspect that could be counter-productive with regards to fighting the myriad of security challenges confronting the country which Acting IGP Ibrahim Idris promised is the issue of the reversal of the posting of Squadron Commanders and other senior Police officers to strategic positions across the country, a posting that took specialization and competence into consideration” a source said.
“Though the new administration is at liberty to carry out postings and appointments in line with the policy objectives of the new IGP, it behooves on the Police hierarchy to consider federal character principles and competency while performing these functions because the force is Nigerian Police. It is not a police of one region of the country”, a source told Vanguard.
“If this trend continues, there is no gainsaying that fact that moral in the police force and the progress recently reinvigorated would revert to zero level and the vibrancy that was restored would be gone”, another source added.
Meanwhile, a group of Police officers under the Cadet Inspectors Cadre, have petitioned the Presidency and the National Assembly alleging lopsidedness in the recent promotions from the ranks of Inspectors to the ranks of Assistant Superintendents of Police released by the Police Service Commission.
In a petition titled ‘A Cry For Justice, Fairness and Equity/Complaint’ and copied the Acting Inspector General of Police, the officers said, “We the concerned members of the Nigeria Police Force Course 38/2009, Course 39/2010 are crying for justice, fairness and equity in just concluded promotions of Inspectors to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police II released on the 11th January 2016 with Letter No. SH:4650/FS/FHQ/DSB/2015/VOL.1/34 dated 11th January, 2016 and letter NO. SH: 650/FS/FHQ/DSB/2015/T3/4 Dated 08133/06/2016.
“These two promotions have cost some of us tears and loss of confidence in ourselves as we do not have a voice at the head of affairs in Nigeria police force. We were recruited into Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano in 2009/2010. It was done in Batches, Batch “A” Course 38/2009, and Batch “B” Course 39 /2010.
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“This recruitment was done in quota system per a state, some state were ten (10) in number while some where fifteen (15) and twenty (20) respectively. The total number of both batch “A” and “B” where four hundred and twenty three “423” trained at Nigeria Police Force Wudil Kano state.
“After passing through all the necessary process for promotion, some of us were shocked to our bone marrow to discover that some of our mates were promoted in some state in January 11th 2016 and we were crying and as a result a letter was sent from Police Service Commission with Ref. No: PSC/1987/VOL.1/149 dated 16th January, 2016 to the Inspector General of Police requesting for the list of Inspectors of police who attended the year 2015 Departmental Selection Board (DSB) but were not promoted.
“The body of the letter stated clearly to include all Cadet Inspectors both Batch “A” and “B” 2009/2010, that letter gave us hope and sense of belonging.
“After six month of waiting another promotion was released on the 7th June, 2016 as a supplementary promotion to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police but most of us were not still promoted even when our performance where above average and also recommended in Departmental Selection Board (DSB) in 2015 for promotion.
“The reason for this promotion according to them is based on Quota System which we were already quartered during our recruitment and this made our mate in some state to be superior to us now for over six month.
“Let me bring to your notice that states like Akwa Ibom they are only three (3) Cadet Inspectors left out of this two released promotion and they are Cadet Inspectors, date of last promotion 04/01/2010, Cross River State five (5), Enugu State five (5) Nasarawa State two (2), Imo State three (3), Ondo state two (2), Kogi State nine (9), Benue State ten (10), Delta State ten (10), Edo State ten (10). The total numbers of cadet left out of this promotion are Fifty Four (54) out of Four Hundred and Twenty Three (423)”.
“We discovered that in these two promotions, our juniors that were promoted in April 2010 and July 2010 were promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police while we that were promoted in August 2009 and January 2010 are left out because of our State of Origin. They failed to understand that we have spent six and seven years without promotion as Cadet Inspectors. “
“We pray you use your good office to call the Police Service Commission Chairman and the Inspector General of Police to promote this Fifty Four (54) cadet Inspectors Course 38/2009 and course 39/2010 that are left behind due to this quota system and also backdate our date of promotion to be the same with our course mates that were promoted already in January 2016 and June 2016 for justice, fairness and equity in Nigeria Police Force to prevail.
END.
