Police Service Commission (PSC) has dismissed 19 senior police officers, including ten assistant superintendents, six deputy superintendents, two chief superintendents, and one superintendent. This decision, announced on Friday, December 6, also included the reduction in rank of 19 other officers: one assistant commissioner of police, one chief superintendent, two superintendents, two deputy superintendents, and 13 assistant superintendents.
Additionally, two Assistant Inspectors General of Police faced disciplinary actions. One received a reprimand for refusing to carry out lawful instructions, while the other was issued a letter of warning for negligence.
The PSC’s spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, disclosed in a statement that various officers found culpable received penalties such as severe reprimand, reprimand, and letters of warning.
“Most of the officers dismissed are also to be prosecuted by the Legal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force. Three pending disciplinary matters were stepped down with a request for further information from the Inspector General of Police. The Commission also considered 23 appeals and petitions and nine legal matters/court judgments,” Ani stated.
The statement noted that 110 pending disciplinary cases and 23 appeals and petitions, alongside 13 court judgments seeking compliance, were deliberated on during the commission’s last session of its first plenary meeting in Abuja.
DIG Hashimu Argungu (retd.), the Chairman of the Commission, emphasized that police disciplinary cases would henceforth be handled with urgency. “This will ensure that officers not found wanting can proceed with their career progression while those found culpable serve their punishments,” he explained.
Argungu issued a warning to officers who engage in civil matters such as land disputes, marital issues, and rent-related conflicts, asserting that the courts should handle such cases.
He urged the police to prioritize criminal matters and threats to life.
