PSC, IG on Collision Course over New Police Zonal Commands

Steps down IG’s list of 112 officers for promotion

Approves promotion of 179 senior officers

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Buoyed by the Appeal Court judgement that declared recruitment of 10,000 police constables by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Adamu Mohammed, null and void, the Police Service Commission (PSC) yesterday stepped down 112 officers submitted by the IG for promotion over his failure to comply with the commission’s directive to attach a presidential approval authorising the creation of new police zonal commands and departments.

The IG had submitted the names of the 112 officers to occupy positions in the new commands.
He had, on May 27, 2020, issued a statement announcing the establishment of the new zonal commands as authorised by President Muhammadu Buhari.

This comes as the commission approved the promotion of 179 senior police officers to their next rank.
A statement issued in Abuja by the Spokesman of the commission, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, said the decisions were part of the highpoints of the 9th Plenary Meeting of the Commission which held in Abuja on Monday and Tuesday, September 28 and 29, 2020 and presided over by Commission’s Chairman, retired Inspector General of Police, Musiliu Smith.

“The commission stood down the promotions of 112 senior police officers for failure of the Inspector General of Police to comply with the directive of the commission to attach the presidential approval for the creation of additional police zonal commands and departments from where the vacancies for the recommended officers were harvested.

“The commission stood down the promotion of 13 Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Assistant Inspectors-General, eight Deputy Commissioners of Police to Commissioners and 91 Chief Superintendents of Police to Assistant Commissioners,” he said.

The commission promoted one Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Sanusi Lemu to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), to replace retired DIG Abdulmajid Ali, representing the North Central.
It also approved the promotion of one Commissioner of Police, CP Mustapha Dandaura, former CP Anambra and Rivers States to the substantive rank of an Assistant Inspector General of Police.

Also promoted were 167 Superintendents of Police to Chief Superintendents, three Deputy Superintendents of Police to Superintendents, two Assistant Superintendents of Police to Deputy Superintendents and four Inspectors to Assistant Superintendents.
The commission also confirmed the acting appointments of 60 senior Police Officers including three Commissioners of Police and four Deputy Commissioners.