Police defends recent force promotions

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Nigeria Police Force has strongly rebuffed a report accusing the Force of favouritism and misconduct in its recent promotion exercise.

Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Saturday described the allegations as “disheartening,” emphasizing that the reports are “riddled with falsehoods and baseless allegations.”

Adejobi clarified that the promotions approved by the Police Service Commission were not the result of “favouritism or backdoor dealings,” but “the product of a deliberate, merit-based policy championed by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun.”
Highlighting the initiative, he explained:

“As part of the IGP’s renewed welfare drive, the Nigeria Police Force Awards and Commendations, and IGPs Recognition scheme were created to identify and reward officers who have shown exceptional courage, professionalism, and commitment to duty.”

Officers who have won these awards and recognitions in 2023 and 2024 were considered for accelerated promotion after a “diligent, transparent, and merit-based” selection process. Adejobi stated that these include officers from various commands and aides of the IGP at Force Headquarters.

However, he criticized Sahara Reporters’ approach, accusing the outlet of opting “for sensationalism, mischief, and in some instances, the circulation of forged documents wrongly attributed to the Police.” He remarked that this pattern of behavior “borders on an unhealthy obsession with the leadership of the Force,” and questioned if “Mr. Sowore has a personal axe to grind with the IGP.”
Stressing the integrity of the process, Adejobi affirmatively said:

“The promotion process was grounded on due process and merit. The Nigeria Police Force is evolving, and so are the standards for promotion and reward.”
Responding to the lack of direct rebuttals from the IGP, Adejobi suggested that silence should not be mistaken for weakness:

“The IGP is too busy to give attention to those who author and publish falsehood and mischiefs like Sahara Reporters… and they are free to interpret the silence maintained by the IGP in the face of these provocations as weakness. I wish them well.”

This defense underscores ongoing tensions between the Nigeria Police Force and media outlets critical of its administrative decisions.