• Aggrieved officers head for court
From MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja
Thursday March 08, 2012
From MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja
Thursday March 08, 2012
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Photo: Sun News Publishing |
Thirteen Assistant Inspectors General of police (AIGs) have been compulsorily retired as a fallout of the appointment of seven new Deputy Inspectors General of police (DIGs) announced recently by the Police Service Commission (PSC).
This followed the elevation of five commissioners of police who were junior to the affected officers, to the rank of DIGs in the newly constituted police management team comprising the Inspector General, the DIGs, and the Force Secretary.
Daily Sun checks indicated that apparently bouyed by the protests and petitions by some aggrieved senior police officers to the presidency and the National Assembly over the promotions in which 13 commissioners of police leaped to the rank of AIG, the PSC and the police high command might have resolved not to make the retirement of the 13 old AIGs public through police wireless messages or press statements.
Consequently, the authorities had reportedly begun issuance of the letters of retirement to the affected officers individually, with the AIG in charge of the Police Air Wing, AIG Charles Cole, said to be among the officers at the force headquarters already served with the letter. Reliable sources hinted that all the 13 AIGs who were in service before the recent promotion exercise, comprising 10 general duty (GD) and three specialist were asked to bow out of the force notwithstanding their statutorily scheduled exit dates, since they could not make the list of new DIGs and five of their junior officers had been promoted ahead of them.
The affected officers included the incumbent AIG in charge of Zone 11, Osogbo, Johnson Uzu-Egbunam; the AIG Force Secretary, Mohammed Zarewa; AIG Zone 2, Lagos, Christopher Ola; AIG Zone 6, Calabar, Saidu Daya; AIG Border Patrol, Bukar Maina; AIG Intelligence, Danlami Yar’Adua, and the AIG in charge of Zone 9, Umuahia, Mohammed Abass.
Others are the Commandant of the Police Academy (POLAC), AIG Shehu Babalola; AIG Zone 8, Lokoja, Ephraim Amakulor; Commandant of the Police Staff College, Jos, AIG John Moronike; AIG Medical, Dr. Maudeke Dax Uzu, AIG Police Air Wing, Charles Cole; AIG Works, Muazu Idris Hadejia, and the AIG Force Veterinary, Stephen Hart. Interestingly, all the affected officers have their official retirement dates ranging between May 2012 and December 2016.
There are however, conflicting reports as to the procedure to be followed in the notice of retirement issued to the officers. While one of the AIGs who pleaded anonymity confirmed that he had been served with a letter of retirement, others said they got the ‘news’, but have not officially received the letter. While also confirming the development, another senior officer warned on the consequences of the directive.
He said: “What I learnt was that some of the AIGs, who have been invited on the notice of retirement either refused to collect the letter or declined to write for voluntary retirement. I also heard that some of them are already planning to go to court over the issue. How can you force people to retire against their wish; it is improper, but we are watching, because there is confusion everywhere.”
Sources hinted that following the development anxiety had heightened on the fate of some of the commissioners of police whose subordinates were elevated to the ranks of DIG and AIG.
“We do not know for now whether the treatment meted to the old AIGs will also befall them,” a senior officer who does not want his name in print remarked.
Contacted for comments on the issue, PSC spokesman, Ferdinard Ekpe, said he was not aware of the development, and had not been briefed. However, the police Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olusola Amore, did not respond to repeated calls on his mobile phone. Meanwhile, Daily Sun has authritatively learnt that the Chairman of the PSC, Mr. Parry Osayande, yesterday, sent a letter to the National Assembly, in which he gave about three reasons to justify the retirement of the 13 AIGs.
Among the reasons, according to sources privy to the letter, were that an officer may be retired if his/her office was being re-organized, or for reasons of redundancy. Osayande reportedly cited some sections of the Public Service Rules to justify the commission’s action.
The Senate Committee on Police Affairs was presently investigating complaints arising from the recent promotion of the seven DIGs and 13 AIGs, and it was believed to have waded into the contentious retirement of the AIGs whose names were also said to have been sent to the National Assembly.
SOURCE: The Sun, 8 March 2012. http://sunnewsonline.com/
This followed the elevation of five commissioners of police who were junior to the affected officers, to the rank of DIGs in the newly constituted police management team comprising the Inspector General, the DIGs, and the Force Secretary.
Daily Sun checks indicated that apparently bouyed by the protests and petitions by some aggrieved senior police officers to the presidency and the National Assembly over the promotions in which 13 commissioners of police leaped to the rank of AIG, the PSC and the police high command might have resolved not to make the retirement of the 13 old AIGs public through police wireless messages or press statements.
Consequently, the authorities had reportedly begun issuance of the letters of retirement to the affected officers individually, with the AIG in charge of the Police Air Wing, AIG Charles Cole, said to be among the officers at the force headquarters already served with the letter. Reliable sources hinted that all the 13 AIGs who were in service before the recent promotion exercise, comprising 10 general duty (GD) and three specialist were asked to bow out of the force notwithstanding their statutorily scheduled exit dates, since they could not make the list of new DIGs and five of their junior officers had been promoted ahead of them.
The affected officers included the incumbent AIG in charge of Zone 11, Osogbo, Johnson Uzu-Egbunam; the AIG Force Secretary, Mohammed Zarewa; AIG Zone 2, Lagos, Christopher Ola; AIG Zone 6, Calabar, Saidu Daya; AIG Border Patrol, Bukar Maina; AIG Intelligence, Danlami Yar’Adua, and the AIG in charge of Zone 9, Umuahia, Mohammed Abass.
Others are the Commandant of the Police Academy (POLAC), AIG Shehu Babalola; AIG Zone 8, Lokoja, Ephraim Amakulor; Commandant of the Police Staff College, Jos, AIG John Moronike; AIG Medical, Dr. Maudeke Dax Uzu, AIG Police Air Wing, Charles Cole; AIG Works, Muazu Idris Hadejia, and the AIG Force Veterinary, Stephen Hart. Interestingly, all the affected officers have their official retirement dates ranging between May 2012 and December 2016.
There are however, conflicting reports as to the procedure to be followed in the notice of retirement issued to the officers. While one of the AIGs who pleaded anonymity confirmed that he had been served with a letter of retirement, others said they got the ‘news’, but have not officially received the letter. While also confirming the development, another senior officer warned on the consequences of the directive.
He said: “What I learnt was that some of the AIGs, who have been invited on the notice of retirement either refused to collect the letter or declined to write for voluntary retirement. I also heard that some of them are already planning to go to court over the issue. How can you force people to retire against their wish; it is improper, but we are watching, because there is confusion everywhere.”
Sources hinted that following the development anxiety had heightened on the fate of some of the commissioners of police whose subordinates were elevated to the ranks of DIG and AIG.
“We do not know for now whether the treatment meted to the old AIGs will also befall them,” a senior officer who does not want his name in print remarked.
Contacted for comments on the issue, PSC spokesman, Ferdinard Ekpe, said he was not aware of the development, and had not been briefed. However, the police Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olusola Amore, did not respond to repeated calls on his mobile phone. Meanwhile, Daily Sun has authritatively learnt that the Chairman of the PSC, Mr. Parry Osayande, yesterday, sent a letter to the National Assembly, in which he gave about three reasons to justify the retirement of the 13 AIGs.
Among the reasons, according to sources privy to the letter, were that an officer may be retired if his/her office was being re-organized, or for reasons of redundancy. Osayande reportedly cited some sections of the Public Service Rules to justify the commission’s action.
The Senate Committee on Police Affairs was presently investigating complaints arising from the recent promotion of the seven DIGs and 13 AIGs, and it was believed to have waded into the contentious retirement of the AIGs whose names were also said to have been sent to the National Assembly.
SOURCE: The Sun, 8 March 2012. http://sunnewsonline.com/
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