The frustration among the sidelined officers is palpable. They say the development has not only humiliated them but also sent a demoralising signal within the rank and file of the Force.
A group of aggrieved officers in the Nigeria Police Force have accused the authorities of bias and irregularities in the promotion exercise.
The affected officers, all of the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said they were promoted in 2020 and confirmed in 2022, but have now been sidelined in the elevation of ASPs to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
Speaking under strict anonymity, some of the officers told PM News that they were outraged to discover that junior colleagues who joined the Force in 1993 and only attained the rank of ASP between 2022 and 2023 were being moved up to DSP ahead of those who enlisted in 1991 and have already spent five years as ASPs.
The officers alleged that junior colleagues identified by AP numbers 158769, 158770, and 189284 were promoted over their seniors, in violation of the long-standing principle of seniority in the Force.
“We strongly believe that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), DIG Hashimu Agungu (Rtd), are not yet aware of this anomaly. That is why we are passionately appealing to them to review the enlistment and promotion records to correct this imbalance,” an aggrieved officer said.
The frustration among the sidelined officers is palpable. They say the development has not only humiliated them but also sent a demoralising signal within the rank and file of the Force.
He added: “We appreciate the IGP and the PSC Chairman for the reforms and seamless promotion processes introduced in recent times, but it would be unfair to see senior ASPs saluting their juniors who were erroneously promoted above them due to clerical or administrative errors. We have served diligently on this rank for five years and deserve fair treatment.
SaharaReporters had reported different allegations of bias and impunity levelled against the Nigerian Police Force led by Kayode Egbetokun over what has been termed unfair promotion exercises.
In one of such instances, claims were made by different family sources and top police insiders, who said that while various officers were promoted, CSP Ibrahim Sini — who rejected a bribe of N150 million in 2024 — was not included in the promotion list.
“Given the feat of rejecting the amount, everyone had thought he would be specially promoted this year but we were all surprised that nothing came forth. How do you want to encourage such integrity,” a source within the Force told SaharaReporters.
Family sources of the affected officer, who reached out to SaharaReporters under anonymity, stated that although he was not making a fuss about the situation, they were disappointed at the absence of compensation or a special reward system for such an honourable act.
“When we heard of the promotions we had thought by default that his name would be there but it was not. While the officer is saying he will continue to serve with merit, we expected that atleast he would be recognised, that’s how the police can thrive,” the family source said.
In May, SaharaReporters reported that there was growing number of disgruntled police officers who accused the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission (PSC) of abandoning them after they submitted academic documents for promotion in 2023.
The officers, mostly within the inspectorate cadre and the rank-and-file, said the force’s recent signal calling for doctoral degree (PhD) holders for a fresh promotion exercise is not only discriminatory but a slap in the face of thousands of personnel who have been waiting for recognition based on their HND, BSc, and master’s degrees.
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