HURIWA alleges unlawful dismissal of ASP Nkereuwem from police force, seeks obedience to PSC

Civil rights advocacy group; the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, lamented the wrongful dismissal of Assistant Superintendent of Police  (ASP),

Ekpenyong Inyene Nkereuwem from the Nigeria Police Force and the failure of the police force to reinstate her despite an order from the Police Service Commission (PSC), asking the police authorities to do so.
   
HURIWA in a statement signed by the National Coordinator; Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said: “On April 24, 2017, ASP Nkereuwem was maliciously and falsely alleged to be pregnant in the Academy and later referred to a Disciplinary Committee for investigation where she was dismissed from the Academy on May 25, 2017. On June 9, 2017, she forwarded an appeal against the punishment to the Office of the IGP, and a Special Investigative Panel was directed to investigate her appeal. 
 
“Upon the completion of the investigation by the Special Investigative Panel, the then IGP Ibrahim approved her reinstatement into the Nigeria Police Academy as Cadet ASP to enable her to continue her training program along with her training cohorts as contained in a letter addressed to the Commandant, Nigeria Police Academy and referenced: CR: 3000/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.2/20 dated  July 7, 2017. 
 
“She resumed her academic and Police Professional training program and concluded her academic training in fulfillment of an award of a B.A. Degree in English under NUC amended act no. 48 of 1989, 2007, and cadet handbook 2015 – 2018.  

“Upon completion of her academic and Police Professional training programme, she was commissioned into the Nigeria Police Force on 20th December 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari, and posted to FCT Command.   “On July 4,  2020,  in a press release from the Nigeria Police Academy, it was made public that she had been dismissed from the Force without official notification of the reason(s) for her dismissal.
 
“As a law-abiding citizen and a loyal member of the Nigeria Police Force, ASP Nkereuwem sought the intervention of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and was reinstated into the Force in a decision held between January 27 and 28, 2021 at the 11th Plenary Meeting of the Police Service Commission and at the Commission’s 15th Plenary Meeting of May11, 12 and 13, 2022, reaffirming her reinstatement,” HURIWA recalled.  

HURIWA, therefore, called on the National Assembly to intervene in compelling the IGP to obey the order of the PSC and reinstate ASP Nkereuwem, who at the time of her dismissal, was not tried but dismissed for an undisclosed offence.

At press time, Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, (Force PRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, was yet to respond to the message sent to his phone.