SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that some senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force alleged that the Police Service Commission gave special promotion to the junior officers above senior ones after allegedly collecting bribe of a sum of $10,000.
A group of senior police officers in the Nigeria Police Force have called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other regulatory agencies to immediately launch an investigation into the Police Service Commission (PSC) monumental bribery allegation.
SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that some senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force alleged that the Police Service Commission gave special promotion to the junior officers above senior ones after allegedly collecting bribe of a sum of $10,000.
"The mother of all the corruption is a list of some officers most of whom are serving in Lagos State Command, they have paid as much as ten thousand US Dollars ($10,000) to some notable people in Police Service Commission, for them to be given special promotions to their next rank and have their dates of promotion backdated under the disguise of community recommendations,” the aggrieved senior officers had said in a statement.
Reacting to the allegation, the PSC on Thursday denied the report but said that it had set up a committee to investigate the allegations in the SaharaReporters’ exclusive story.
The Commission also directed the police to fish out a whistleblower who exposed that the Commission gave special promotions to junior officers above superior ones after collecting a bribe of $10,000.
But reacting to the bribery scandal, a group of Senior Police Officers on Thursday decried the corruption in the commission and called on President Buhari, the National Assembly and anti-graft agencies to quickly investigate the allegation.
The group said that it is unfortunate that “The Commission is alleged to have jettisoned standards by engaging in collecting bribes for promotion, exonerating officers reported to be complicit in professional misconduct, etc,” adding that “They do this by way of assigning themselves slots for promotion which is an aberration.”
The group further alleged that “The six commissioners, all directors and deputy directors share slots to themselves wherein they later sell same to interested members of the force.
“They went as far as using the police profession at the expense of nation building, do share promotion slots to first class chiefs, Governors, Senators, etc. Where is this done? In which country on this planet earth will human beings be this callous, reckless and deliberate in killing an institution such as the police? They also demand monies to exonerate officers alleged to be involved in sharp practices.
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is called upon to cause investigation into the recent and other past scandalous promotions (including that of Dec, 2020), the ones given to the aides of the Vice President and the wife of the President. They should request for the justification for each of the promotees on the special promotion lists. The abuse of the provision for special promotion must be stopped as
“The President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the DSS, The NASS, Civil Society Organisations, Head of Service are all enjoined to take special interest in this matter and ensure it is reversed and stopped forthwith as our collective quietness will spell doom in the force and the snowballing effects of having a police organization with the overall morale of its personnel dampened will mean greater harm to our entire wellbeing.”
The group alleged that “Some officers who made the list got special promotion four and others three consecutive times. Others are in fact, sadly being promoted from one star to three stars.
“It is also on record that a lot of beneficiaries of the special promotion were promoted just last year but doctored their date of last promotion to read two years earlier. The lists that are not from the outcome of gallantry and exemplary conducts must be dropped immediately to cool the tension in the system and ensure only due process is followed in the police career progression.
“Lastly, the list of the promotion under the “special” promotion criteria also did not pass through the normal procedure which allows that the IGP makes recommendations and send to the PSC only to consider the recommendation for approval. This practice means that the PSC can unilaterally promote and only inform the IGP for implementation which is not the normal procedure.”
“For the benefit of doubt, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the FCT Minister is just 13 years in service and already benefiting from the rascal special promotion to the rank of ACP. There is no any form of attack on the FCT Minister that the CSO was heroic in saving his life or that of his family. Many of such instances abound and one can name them over 150 beneficiaries of this rascality in high places.
“Another instance is one SP Gadzama Musa who was a corporal in 2011 and now being promoted to CSP. His mates are still Inspectors.
“Also one SP Shaba the current CSO to the Executive Governor of IMO State who was an inspector in 2017 and now being promoted to CSP leaves so much to be desired.
“Again one SP Musa Gadzama who was a corporal in 2011 and was just promoted last year in July, barely 9 months ago to the rank of SP, but his promotion was doctored with the connivance of the staff of PSC to read as if he was qualified based on the two years minimum pegged by the PSC.”