Police High Command Condemns Interview alleging Rot in the force, describe it as Malicious; insist Force is focused, will not be distracted.

The Force headquarters has descried an interview captioned ‘More Rot in the Police Exposed’ as misleading, unfounded and deliberate attempt to cast aspersion on the meritorious services to ‘our great Nation, Nigeria’ by some of the previous Inspectors General of Police and the current Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris.  

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood said, “The Force is constrained to respond to mirage of falsehoods, unfounded allegations and malicious intentions in the mind of the writer against the Nigeria Police Force and some of the successive Inspectors General of Police who served the Force and our dear Nation, Nigeria diligently without blemish throughout their careers.

“Though the Force considered it of less value to respond to unguided utterances and mischievous views expressed by a person that has been very close to the Force, a wife of a serving Commissioner of Police, who is an erstwhile Force Public Relations Officer, it is pertinent to disabuse the mind of Nigerians, most especially those who must have read the story and set the record straight.      

“The Nigeria Police Force sees the whole interview and opinion expressed in the report as entirely imaginary, shadowy and instigative allegations which if not responded to can brew disaffection between the personnel of the Force at this critical time that the morale of all officers and men of the Force is so much on high level prompting so many successes and achievements for the Force and the Nation in crime prevention and control throughout the country.

“It is sufficed to state that all the allegations made in the interview against the Inspector General of Police, previous IGPs and the Management Team of the Nigeria Police Force were all common place rumours and not back by facts and is not the practice in the Force.

“The Force wonders who the writer is talking for and whose interest she is damaging to protect. There is no gain saying that the writer has been patronizing the Nigeria Police Force for decades and of late married to a Commissioner of Police who has been running a very bright and responsible career in the Force, but alas and sadly the writer’s conclusion on the Nigeria Police Force and its hierarchy is far from being objective to assist to make it function better, but one attack too many targeted at running down the administration of the Force and rubbish the enviable office of the Inspector General of Police past and present.

“It is colossal exaggeration to assert that the personifies the Nigeria Police Force as claimed by the writer of the story, may be if at all negatively, as there is no any record that shows that the writer was trained as a Police Officer, or how many Divisions or Area Commands has the writer commanded or how many Police Unit she controls.

“It is utterly misleading and wicked for anyone to claim that there is nepotism in the Force, and that competent hands are not posted to State Commands, that Emirs, Ministers, Senators influence postings, that IG’s friends enjoy special promotion, State Governors lobby for Commissioners of Police and that hardworking officers lose morale.

“The fact remains that postings of officers in the Force are based on merit and the competence of the assigned officer to discharge its expected responsibility effectively and optimally, and not on any other consideration.

“Furthermore, transfers, redeployments and promotion in the Nigeria Police Force are administrative tools aimed at enhancing utmost efficiency and excellent service delivery of officers and men of the Force to Nigerians.

“The Police Act and Regulations, the Force Orders and Force Administrative Instruction, Public Service Rules and other enabling circulars and guidelines are strictly being complied with in the day to day running of the administration of the Force by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris.

“For avoidance of doubt, the Deputy Inspectors General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police (Force Secretary) is functional and active members of the Nigeria Police Force Management Team.

“There is no any acrimony or bad blood within the management team as incorrectly stated by the writer in the interview.

 “However, it is incumbent on the Force to educate the writer of the story that the Nigeria Police Force under the watch of IGP Ibrahim Idris is a disciplined organisation and will not allow lack of supervision, nepotism in promotion and postings or favouritism under any guise to prevail.

“It may interest the writer of the story to know that the Inspector General of Police since assumption of office in June 2016 has introduced varying internal anti-corruption mechanisms to check excess in the Force.

“It is also on record for anyone to verify that all programs and projects he inherited from previous Police Administrations are not abandoned but are being implemented and completed.  

“The Force therefore wishes to reiterate that redeployments, transfers, re-assignments are administrative, routine and normal not only in the Nigeria Police Force but in every organization that takes productivity and optimum performance of its personnel very seriously and not on how long or lengthy years someone has spent but the competency and capability of such officer to deliver effective and efficient service to all Nigerians.

“Consequently, it is imperative to implore members of the public and Police personnel to discountenance the interview credited to the interviewee as unfounded, baseless and a total falsehood to be disregarded by all and sundry and all opinion expressed therein as fallacy which is not the practice in the Force.   

The Nigeria Police Force is assuring the media of its support and continued cooperation in ensuring a crime free society and credible reportage.

“The print media are enjoined not to allow the pages of their esteemed Newspapers to be used to champion campaign of calumny capable of causing disaffections in the Force or that can cast aspersions on the hard earned integrity of the leadership of the Force.

“The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris will not be distracted or deterred from carrying out his statutory responsibilities for the benefit of the entire Police Personnel and the members of the general public that we serve.                

CSP JIMOH O. MOSHOOD

Force Public Relations Officers

Force Headquarters, Abuja