THE Police Service Commission (PSC) on Sunday said the promotion of senior police officers was not based on ethnic considerations.
It was reacting to statement by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership faulting the alleged lopsidedness of the promotion, which the organisation said ran contrary to the federal character principle.
The PSC on Friday promoted senior police officers during its 10th plenary meeting.
Twelve of the officers were from the Northwest, eight from the Northeast, seven from the Southwest, five from the Southsouth, four from the Northcentral and just one from the Southeast region.
Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, said in a statement that the promotions were based on the availability of vacancies and seniority.
The statement reads: “The Ohanaeze noted that only one Igbo son was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police in the recent exercise and that all Commissioners of Police in the Southeast are Northerners. It also observed that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the Force.
“The Commission wishes to state that promotion of senior police officers, including promotion into the office of Commissioner of Police, is based on the availability of vacancies, seniority, free of any pending disciplinary matter and merit except in few cases of a special promotion.
“Even for a special promotion, there are laid down rules, regulations and conditions which an officer must satisfy such as: must have stayed two years in a rank; must not have had any special promotion in the immediate past five years and must not have a pending disciplinary matter.
“The Commission also allows the Inspector General of Police who is the operational head of the Police to recommend qualified and deserving officers to the Commission for promotion.
“This is a synergy the Commission has forged with the police to ensure complementarity in the management of its officers.
“The Commission does not and has never approved the promotion of any police officer based on ethnic or any other consideration except the ones stated above.
“It is also important to state that it is not true that Command Commissioners of Police in the Southeast are all from the North. The CPs for Imo, Abia and Anambra states Commands are not Northerners.
“Only the CPs for Enugu and Ebonyi are from the North just as there are Igbo CPs in other Zones. The CP for Bayelsa and Oyo States are Igbos. Many other Igbo sons are Commissioners of Police of different Police formations in the country.
“It is also not true that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the Force.
“Just recently, an Igbo son, former Commissioner of Police in charge of Police Budget who was promoted a Deputy Inspector General of Police was deployed as DIG A, that is overseeing Administration and Finance, a very sensitive Department in the Police Management team.
“The Commission wishes to assure the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that it will at no time consciously marginalise any section of the country in the promotion and deployment of senior police officers.
“The Commission will continue to be guided by the established rules guiding promotions in the police and in the larger interest of the Nigerian nation.”
