Richard Ginika Izuora
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has announced the dismissal of four senior Police Officers; and demotion of two others over cases of gross misconduct and acts unbecoming of public officers.
Mr Ikechukwu Ani, the Head of Press and Public Relations of the Commission, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, December 20, in Abuja; indicating that the Commission would also reprimand four officers.
Ani said the decision was reached on Friday at the 10th Plenary Meeting of the Commission; presided over by its Chairman, Musiliu Smith a former Inspector General of Police.
According to Ani, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) was dismissed for discreditable conduct, dishonesty, and acts unbecoming of a Public Officer.
He said that a Superintendent of Police was also dismissed for conspiring with four others to vandalize a transformer and stealing.
Ani said the Commission had directed that the Officer be prosecuted.
He said the two other Officers dismissed were a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
“The DSP was said to have led a team that intercepted three Mercedes Benz trucks conveying about 300,000 live cartridges; believed to have been smuggled across the border from the Benin Republic into Nigeria. They reportedly impounded the trucks at the base for three days; but made no entries or a situation report of the arrest.
“The DSP rather raised a fake letter purporting to escort the vehicles and suspects to Federal SARS, Lagos; with the dubious intention of ensuring their unlawful release,” he said.
According to him, luck, however, ran out of the team when they were intercepted; at a Military checkpoint where soldiers on duty insisted on verifying the contents of the trucks.
Ani said the DSP as well as his team were said to have abandoned the trucks and fled.
He said the ASP was dismissed for misappropriation, action prejudicial to the security of the state; sabotage; dishonesty and acts unbecoming of a public officer.
Ani said the Commission also approved the promotion of four Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIG) to the substantive rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) during the Plenary Meeting.
According to him, the new DIGs are expected to represent their geo-political zones in the Police Management Team.