The Inspector General of Police, IGP Dr. Olukayode Egbetokun, on Friday decorated the newly promoted Senior Police Officers and raised the alarm over the mounting pressures for undue special promotions in the Service.
Egbetokun, who lamented that the ugly trend was jeopardizing the job of the personnel, however, vowed that henceforth, anyone recommended for special promotions from powers above would be severely sanctioned.
The worried Police boss said, “I would like to take this opportunity to issue a stern warning to unscrupulous officers who are attempting to undermine our merit-based promotion system for personal gain.
“I urge them to cease lobbying for special promotions through influential persons and external forces. From now on, severe disciplinary action will be taken against any officer found guilty of soliciting undeserved promotions through illicit means, masquerading as special promotions. This also applies to officers soliciting preferential postings.
According to him, “Since the inception of the current Police administration under my leadership, we have been committed to the standardization of the promotion process within the Force. Consequently, the current promotion exercise, like those preceding it under this administration, adheres strictly to the fundamental principles of seniority and merit.
“I wish to reaffirm unequivocally that our promotion process will continue to be transparent and fair to all our officers. No officer eligible for promotion will be denied their rightful advancement.
“At the outset of this administration, we announced the suspension of Special Promotions to ensure a fair, equitable, and transparent Promotion process.
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“While we acknowledge that exceptional circumstances may warrant special promotions, we will take appropriate and expedient action when necessary. We will revisit this decision at the right time and make exceptions where deserved, balancing individual merit with the need for a fair and equitable process.
Those newly decorated include one Deputy Inspector-General of Police; 11 Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, and 15 Commissioners of Police.
Among those decorated include DIG Yayaha Abubakar, a lawyer who hailed from Adamawa State and was the AIG Zone 14 before his elevation.
The newly promoted AIGs are Mohammad Badeh, a Niger State-born former Commissioner of Police in charge of Safer Highway, and Ahmed Armani, who hailed from Katsina State and holds a master’s degree in law enforcement. He has worked at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among others.
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