The promotions take effect from January 5, 2026, the document showed.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of 26,119 Inspectors of Police to the substantive rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police II (ASP II), according to an official police wireless message obtained by SaharaReporters.
The approval, which followed a recommendation by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was conveyed in a PSC letter dated January 29, 2026.
The promotions take effect from January 5, 2026, the document showed.
The wireless message, issued from the Nigeria Police Force Secretariat in Abuja and circulated to police formations nationwide, stated that the decision was taken in line with the Commission’s statutory powers over police appointments and promotions.
It indicated that the affected officers were promoted from the rank of Inspector to ASP II, marking a significant career advancement for thousands of personnel across the Force.
The message further noted that official gazette notifications and Force Order publications detailing the promotions would follow in due course.
The directive was transmitted to all departments, units, commands, zones, specialised formations, and police institutions across the country, including the Force Headquarters, zonal commands, state commands, training institutions, and specialised units such as the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Interpol, Mobile Police, Counter-Terrorism Units, and the Police Air Wing.
The large-scale promotion exercise is one of the most extensive in recent years.
A breakdown of the promotion list seen by SaharaReporters shows that those promoted include Ukurodo Angbianhenba (Service No. 1192021), Adedeye Is-haq (Service No. 220047), Lyba Nantim (Service No. 215434), Hamidu Adamu (Service No. 223982), and Andrew Saul (Service No. 191866).
Others are Usaretin Osayande (Service No. 226436), Okaminiwei Bendel (Service No. 200493), Gambo Binta (Service No. 229381), Zainab Dsegbat (Service No. 207768), and Justina Barang (Service No. 192779).
Earlier on Wednesday, SaharaReporters revealed that a fresh controversy had shaken the Police Force, with allegations of a covert and irregular promotion exercise reigniting concerns about favoritism and institutional decline under the leadership of IGP Egbetokun.
At the centre of the dispute is the promotion of the Force Public Relations Officer, Ben Hundeyin, who was elevated from Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), reportedly ahead of several more senior officers.
On Tuesday, the Force announced the promotion its Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Hundeyin, to the rank of ACP.
The promotion was approved on the recommendation of the IGP, Mr Egbetokun.
Hundeyin was appointed Force Public Relations Officer in 2025 as a CSP, succeeding Deputy Commissioner of Police Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
Sources within the Force claim the promotion was carried out discreetly and outside established procedures, triggering widespread discontent among officers who felt sidelined.
According to the report, the situation was further complicated by allegations surrounding the promotion of a female officer, Gloria Obiageli Obakpolor, who was reportedly elevated from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) to Superintendent of Police (SP).
Police insiders allege that her promotion was irregular and connected to a personal relationship with the Inspector-General dating back to his time as Commandant of the Police College in Lagos.
“Gloria was pilloried and vilified by the IGP’s paramour, Yemisi Bukola Kuti, who serves as PSO 3 in the IGP’s office and whose controversial promotion last year sent shockwaves through the police force,” a top police source said.
Gloria’s husband was reportedly dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force under circumstances that many observers attribute to the personal interests of Egbetokun.
Gloria is currently posted to the Budget Section at Police Headquarters, where she works as an accountant.
Sources further allege that her promotion has reignited internal rivalries within the force, coming on the heels of the controversial elevation of Bukola Kuti in 2025, an episode that unsettled Police Headquarters.
Observers say that development marked a turning point in the deepening crisis surrounding allegations of unethical leadership within the office of the IGP.
In response to sustained public scrutiny and investigative reports by SaharaReporters, the police hierarchy subsequently initiated multiple criminal cases against the platform’s publisher, Omoyele Sowore, including at least three cybercrime-related charges reportedly linked to coverage of alleged ethical breaches involving the IGP’s office.
Further intensifying the controversy, Ms. Obakpolor publicly announced her promotion on social media three days ago, stating that it had been backdated and asserting seniority over officers promoted in December.
The post circulated widely among police personnel, further fueling accusations of favoritism and procedural abuse.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that multiple insiders within the Nigeria Police Force disclosed that ACP Kuti experienced an unusually rapid rise through the ranks, advancing far ahead of her contemporaries, many of whom remain at the level of Superintendent of Police (SP).
Sources said her swift promotion sparked resentment within the Force, with some officers attributing her advancement to an alleged romantic relationship with the IGP Egbetokun.
The situation reportedly intensified after SaharaReporters exposed growing unease and internal tensions among senior officers over the circumstances surrounding her promotion.