The Police Service Commission has said that Police promotion is not based on ethnic consideration. The commission was responding to the comments credited to the leadership of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, a pan Igbo Socio Cultural group on the recent promotions into different offices of the Nigeria Police Force.
Ohaneze had specifically called on the federal government to revisit the exercise especially as it affected promotions into the office of Commissioner of Police.
The Ohaneze noted that only one Igbo son was promoted to the rank of CP in the recent exercise and that all Commissioners of Police in the South East are Northerners. It also observed that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the Force.
While acknowledging that it holds the Ohaneze and its leadership in high esteem, PSC in a statement signed by its head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani and made available to FINANCIALTRUST on Sunday, said it however, wish to clarify its position in the promotion and placement of senior Police officers.
According to the Commission, “Promotions of senior Police Officers including promotion into the office of Commissioner of Police are based on availability of vacancies, seniority, free of any pending disciplinary matter and merit except in few cases of special promotion.
“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 Promotion in the immediate past five years and must not have a pending disciplinary matter, (PDM).”
The Commission also explained that it 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. This is a synergy the Commission has forged with the Police to ensure complementarity in the management of its Officers.
The statement reads: “The Commission do not and has never approved promotion of any Police Officer based on ethnic or any other consideration except the ones stated above.
“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 Ohaneze Ndigbo that it will at no time consciously marginalise 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,” the statement concluded.