Police promotion not based on ethnic consideration but on merit, PSC tells Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has reacted to the protest by the pan Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on the recent promotions in the Nigeran Police Force (NPF), saying that promotion in the force was based on merit and not on ethnic consideration as being alleged by the group.

Tribune Online reports that the leadership of the group had pointed out that only one Igbo son was promoted to the rank of Commissioner Police in the recent exercise carried out by the commission and that all the Commissioners of Police in the South East are Northerners.

The group also observed, “that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the force.”

However, the commission in the statement by the spokesperson of the Commission, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, dismissed the claims insisting that “promotions of senior police officers including promotion into the office of Commissioners of Police are based on the availability of vacancies, seniority, free of any pending disciplinary matter and merit except in few cases of special promotion.”

It further stated that “even for special promotion, there are laid down rules, regulations and conditions which an officer must satisfy such as; must have stayed two years in a rank; must not have had any special.”

According to the commission, such person must “must not have a pending disciplinary matter (PDM) while it also allows the Inspector General of Police who is the operational head of the police to recommend qualified and deserving officers to the commission for promotion.”

While pointing out that this was a synergy the commission had forged with the police to ensure complementarity in the management of its officers, the commission maintained that it would not had and never approved promotion of any police officer based on ethnic or any other consideration except the ones stated above.

The commission also faulted the claims by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that “all Commissioners of Police in the South East are Northerners and that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the force.”

It assured the leadership of the Ndigbo group that it would at no time consciously marginalize any section of the country in the promotion and deployment of senior police officers as being alleged and that it would continue to be guided by the established rules guiding promotions in the police and in the larger interest of the Nigerian nation.

The statement reads in part: “It is also important to state that it is not true that command Commissioners of Police in the South East are all from the North. The CPs for Imo, Abia and Anambra States Commands are not Northerners. Only the CPs for Enugu and Ebonyi are from the North just as there are Igbo CPs in other Zones.

“The CP for Bayelsa and Oyo States are Igbos. There are also many other Igbo sons who are Commissioners of Police of different police formations in the country. It is also not true that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the force.

“Just recently, an Igbo son, former Commissioner of Police in-charge of Police Budget who was promoted a Deputy Inspector General of Police was deployed as DIG A, that is overseeing Administration and Finance, a very sensitive Department in the Police Management team.

“The commission wishes to assure the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that it will at no time consciously marginalize any section of the country in the promotion and deployment of senior police officers.

“The commission will continue to be guided by the established rules guiding promotions in the police and in the larger interest of the Nigerian nation.”