Police dismiss four officers for aiding arms smuggling, others

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has dismissed four senior police officers and demoted two others for alleged misconduct and acts unbecoming of public officers.

TRACKING____The commission’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, announced this yesterday in a statement in Abuja.

The statement said the commission would also reprimand four officers for various offences.

Ani said the decision was reached on Friday at the 10th plenary meeting of the commission, presided over by its Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a former Inspector General of Police (IGP).

According to Ani, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) was dismissed for discreditable conduct, dishonesty and acts unbecoming of a public officer. He said a Superintendent of Police (SP) was also dismissed for conspiring with four others to vandalise a transformer and stealing.

The spokesman said the commission had directed that the officer be prosecuted. Ani also said the two other officers dismissed were a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

“The DSP was said to have led a team that intercepted three Mercedes Benz trucks conveying about 300,000 live cartridges believed to have been smuggled across the border from Benin Republic into Nigeria. They reportedly impounded the trucks at base for three days but made no entries or a situation report of the arrest.

“The DSP rather raised a fake letter purporting to escort the vehicles and suspects to Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos, with the dubious intention of ensuring their unlawful release,” he said.

According to him, luck ran out on the team when they were intercepted at a military checkpoint where soldiers on duty insisted on verifying the contents of the trucks.

Ani said the DSP and his team were said to have abandoned the trucks and fled.

The spokesman said the ASP was dismissed for misappropriation, action prejudicial to the security of the state, sabotage, dishonesty and acts unbecoming of a public officer.

He said the commission also approved the promotion of four Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIG) to the substantive rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) during the plenary meeting.

According to him, the new DIGs are expected to represent their geo-political zones in the Police Management Team.