BY ROTIMI DUROJAIYE
A group of senior police officers in the Nigeria Police Force recently called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and other regulatory agencies to immediately launch an investigation into the Police Service Commission’s monumental bribery allegation.
The police officers had alleged that the PSC gave special promotions to the junior officers above senior ones after allegedly collecting bribes 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 the 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 officers alleged.
The Commission was alleged to have jettisoned standards by engaging in collecting bribes for promotion, exonerating officers reported to be complicit in professional misconduct, 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 the 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 December 2020), the ones given to the aides of the Vice President and the wife of the President. They should request the justification for each of the promotees (sic) 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 conduct 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 the IGP make recommendations and send them 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 over 150 beneficiaries of this rascality in high places.
“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.”
However, the newly appointed chairman of the PSC, Solomon Arase, has set up a panel to investigate the alleged money-for-promotion against the commission by some police officers.
He has also called on those with evidence of money-for-promotion to come up with it.
Also, a commissioner in the PSC, Austin Adogame, has denied the allegation.
Spokesman for the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, in a rejoinder, said: “The attention of PSC has been drawn to a publication by Sahara Reporters of Tuesday, April 11, 2023, on a story, ‘Exclusive: Bribery Scandal Rocks Nigeria Police Service Commission As Officers Allegedly pay $10,000 to get Promotion’. According to the story, a nebulous group parading as aggrieved officers of NPF alleged that the commission gave special promotions to junior officers above senior ones after allegedly collecting $10,000 bribe.
“In a statement by one Chijioke Okonkwo (no rank indicated), on behalf of other officers, urged the Presidency to probe the corrupt practices in the Force.”
The commission denied selling police promotions and would not start when deliberate efforts were being made to reposition and reinvigorate the force, especially with the assumption of duty of Arase as chairman of the commission.
“At the time of this statement, the commission has not formally received any formal petition or complaint on this allegation.
“The said Okonkwo, who posed and signed off on behalf of other officers, forgot that he is a serving police officer and did not indicate his rank. He forgot the line of communication for police officers, which also guides the public service,” it added.
“This bribe angle, and the amount involved, is the latest in the rot within the force that is eating it up and affecting its effectiveness as a security organization”
Meanwhile, Arase, while assuring members of the public of his administration’s readiness to sanitise the system, has urged staff of the commission to live above board at all times in the discharge of their responsibilities, as bribery and corruption of any kind would not be tolerated under his watch.
In August 2017, the PSC said it suspended special promotion for police officers until further notice.
The former Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, Isah Misau, had in a newspaper interview, alleged that police officers pay bribes for special promotion.
Following the report, the former Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, constituted a special panel to investigate complaints and allegations on special promotions.
Mike Okiro, the then Chairman of the commission who disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja, said that the suspension became imperative, following complaints and allegations by members of the public.
“Given the avalanche of disparaging reports, comments and allegations revolving around special promotions, the commission has decided to put on hold all recommendations until further notice,” he said.
Okiro said that the promotions already processed would be referred back to the then Inspector General of police for more details on the beneficiaries.
He said that the commission had also set up a committee to investigate allegations of bribery against some members of the commission by some police officers.
According to the chairman, the commission is expected to submit its report in two weeks.
“As a responsible organisation, the commission ensures that promotions are given to only deserving officers based on merit to encourage hard work,’’ he said.
He said that guidelines developed by the commission on procedures for promotion had been sent to the Inspector General of Police.
“To ensure objectivity, transparency and accountability in the process, the commission has also developed and issued guidelines on special promotion to the Nigeria Police Force.’’
He said that the implementation of the guidelines was being monitored and reviewed by the commission regularly.
Okiro said that officers considered for special promotion in the force must have sufficiently shown concrete evidence for meriting it.
“It should, however, be noted that performance of normal or routine duty will not qualify an officer for special promotion,” he said.
He said that officers with exceptional performance or behaviour would be considered for special promotion even if they have not served the minimum number of years on a rank.
Okiro said that the commission does not unilaterally award special promotions to officers, adding “the major source or recommendations for special promotion is the Inspector General of Police.”
This latest allegation is bringing to the fore what is already prevalent in the force where promotions are allegedly openly distributed on the basis of ethnic and tribal affiliations, or on the basis of next-of-kin and in a manner that dares anyone to do anything about it. This bribe angle, and the amount involved, is the latest in the rot within the force that is eating it up and affecting its effectiveness as a security organization.
However, the allegation that operatives pay as much as $10,000 to influence their promotion is beyond what is imaginable. The question to be asked is how a police officer on a police salary, which is not the most attractive in the public service, can afford such an amount as a bribe.
The PSC that superintends over such matters has already denied that such a horrendous pastime is possible. But the public is already aware that a Police Officer, Abba Kyari, who is now facing trial for infractions deliberately acquired on the job, was recommended for double promotion over and above his seniors.
That particular act by PSC may begin to lend credence to this allegation that is likely to open the Pandora’s Box in an organization that the public love to hate.
When the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency nabbed Kyari over his alleged criminal collaboration with drug lords, a former Inspector General of Police who later became the Chairman of PSC, Mike Okiro, told Nigerians that, actually, he personally recommended him for double promotion. Could that recommendation have been influenced in the light of allegations emerging from the force presently? With the loot from his dealings with drug lords, Kyari could easily have afforded any amount if he thought he needed an accelerated lift in rank.
A retired police officer, who pleaded for secrecy, told The Point that what has just been exposed in the PSC has a dangerous implication that could hamper the national security of Nigeria.
“When juniors are promoted over and above their seniors, such untoward development that sacrifices merit on the altar of mediocrity has the probability of demoralizing committed officers who rely only on the recognition they expect to get from their diligence to duty.
“Before now, it was public knowledge that police operatives lobby for postings to assignments that involve investigating crimes, criminals and cases that have monetary attachment. It is also true that otherwise routine assignments like check-point duties are lobbied for because of the pecuniary benefits accruing from them.”
