Police IG stops special promotion...punishes 2 AIGs for "acts of indiscipline"

Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, on Monday chided two new Assistant Inspectors-General of Police for indiscipline and reiterated that his administration would not tolerate lawlessness and indiscipline from officers and men of the force.

Abubakar, who initially refused to decorate the officers with their new ranks was miffed because the men worn their rank before they were formally decorated by the police boss.

The AIGs, Julius Ishola and Alex Okeke, from Veterinary and Medical departments of the Police Force, had earlier wore their new ranks to the IG’s conference room, venue of the ceremony. 

Abubakar berated them for exhibiting “acts of indiscipline”.

The IG said, “There must be discipline in this service. If you don’t know how to take orders, we will teach you how to take orders.

“I expects that the Commissioners of Police should not be putting on their new ranks because if they do, I do not know what I am going to decorate with. So you should take note of it now.”

After decorating the new Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Philemon Leha, six AIGs and 32 Commissioners of Police, the IG announced that he would not decorate Ishola and Okeke with their new ranks.

It took the intervention of the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Parry Osayande, to prevail on the IG to decorate the men.

Mohammed said, “The present police management will not tolerate any act of lawlessness, disloyalty or disservice from any officer of this service.

“The two of them were actually parading themselves to be AIGs while they were just Commissioners of Police. May be because its the chairman of PSC who confirmed their appointments as AIGs. Officers should learn from such mistakes because this administration will not condone any act of indiscipline”.

The IG stated that his administration believed in the commitment and dedication of the officers and men of the police force, adding that all the promoted officers had demonstrated patriotism and service to the country and humanity.

In his remark, Osayande explained that promotion in the police was by merit and availability of vacancies and in some cases passing prescribed examinations.

“Why we stopped special promotion is because it disorganised the promotion mechanism we put in place to sustain the force.

“So don’t expect any promotion based on special promotion. If you like, you go and say you’ve succeeded in murdering your mother and father that you should be promoted then, we’ll send you back,” Osayande stated.