After strike threat, IGP promotes 21,039 junior police officers

Reps panel chair justifies increase in force’s budget

Weeks after a strike threat by some ‘faceless’ persons, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, yesterday, approved the promotion of 21,039 junior officers that had suffered stagnation in the last six years.

The elevation, which saw 20,572 Sergeants hitting the rank of Inspector, 324 Corporals for Sergeants and 143 Constables for Corporal, is part of ongoing efforts at improving welfare, conditions of service, as well as boosting the morale of personnel for greater efficiency.

Police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “The IGP further noted that the promotion of the officers is part of the manpower development drive of his administration to ensure that deserving personnel are promoted accordingly to encourage hard work, merit, excellence and dedication to duties.

“The IGP equally assured senior police officers that the force’s high command is liaising with the Police Service Commission (PSC) on the release of their promotion, which is expected to be approved and released as soon as possible.

“The IGP, while commending the newly promoted officers for their resilience and invaluable commitment to duties, charged them to see their promotion as a call for renewed zeal, vigour, patriotism to duty and rededication to professional policing standards.

“The IGP equally restated the commitment of his administration to entrenching longstanding reforms in the Nigeria Police Force.”

Some junior officers had vowed to go ahead with a planned protest on March 26 this year. The demonstration billed for the Eagles Square in Abuja, would have seen policemen making a host of demands, including increase in salaries, improvement in working conditions, promotion stagnation and welfare for the rank and file.

RELATEDLY, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Muktar Aliyu Betara, has justified the increase in the force’s 2022 budget.

Addressing reporters yesterday after passage of the revised 2022 fiscal framework, the Borno State lawmaker said the N182 billion increment was to cater for the improved salaries of the personnel.

He said: “The President and Commander-in-Chief brought an amendment to the 2022 Appropriation Act, which the House passed today (yesterday). We passed the budget with an increment to police salaries.

“We increased the police budget by N 182 billion. That is the only difference between the Appropriation Act and the amendment bill. It’s just the police increment.”