Police Promotion: It’s ‘Ungodly’ To Accuse Us Of Marginalization – PSC

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has asked Nigerians to join the police force and represent their geopolitical zones to avoid accusing the commission of marginalizing some sections of the country when promotions are made.

The commission disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani.

The PSC said no part of the country had been deliberately short changed in the promotion of officers, stressing that there was need for people from all regions to show interest in police recruitment.

Ani said by so doing, “they don’t create future problems for their geopolitical zone of not having representation at critical levels of the force.”

He said, “It is unfair and ungodly for the Commission to therefore be accused of marginalizing any geopolitical zone of our country during the promotion of Officers to the senior ranks of Commissioners and Assistant Inspectors- General of Police since those that will be considered will be Officers that remained in service to rise to ranks qualifying them for selection.”

Ani stressed that police promotions are guided by defined rules and regulations that looks beyond ethnic or religious considerations.

“The Commission is a product of the 1999 Constitution as amended and further consolidated by the Police Service Commission (Establishment) Act, 2001.

“It met at inception in 2001, a recruitment process that needed to be made more transparent and inclusive through respect for the federal character principles such as advertisement of recruitment exercise, observance of equality of states and merit.

“The Nigeria Police Force is a regimented organization with a tradition and laid down rules and regulations for carrying out its activities and the Commission has never deviated from this tradition except in very rare cases where public interest will be served.

“It is on record that the Commission has contributed in ensuring sanity in the recruitment of qualified Nigerians into the Nigeria Police Force where the principle of federal character is now considered alongside merit.

“The Commission wishes to reiterate that it will at no time consciously marginalize any section of the country in the promotion and deployment of senior police officers”.

The PSC further assured that it would continue to be guided by the established rules guiding promotions in the Nigeria Police Force in the larger interest of the nation.