Eight policemen and officers have been sanctioned by the Police Service Commission (PSC) for acts considered unethical and unprofessional by the authorities.
Three of the officers were dismissed from service. Five, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police and a Chief Superintendent, were demoted.
Four Superintendents, two Deputy Superintendents, and 12 Assistant Superintendents were also reprimanded by the PSC.
These were the high points of the plenary meeting of the commission in Abuja on Wednesday. The new PSC Chairman and former Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Solomon Arase presided over the meeting.
Fifteen days ago, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) dismissed three officers attached to its Kano Command for unprofessional misconduct, which included the misuse of firearms.
The PSC which okayed the promotion of 109 of its senior staff members, is also treating 43 cases of indiscipline.
In a statement, PSC’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani said: “Chairman of the commission who presided over the meeting for the first time congratulated the newly promoted staff for their success in the promotion examination but reminded them that their new status was a call to more sacrifice in their conduct of government business.
“Arase said they must reciprocate this gesture by putting in more effort in the service of the Commission. He assured them that promotion of staff will be a priority during his tenure of Office but noted that the Staff must be ready to improve themselves and be prepared for the challenges ahead”.
Arase called on the Police to ensure that they worked within the established laws guiding their operations.
He assured them that henceforth, disciplinary matters would be handled with dispatch.
Arase, who thanked members of the PSC for their commitment to duty, promised to carry everyone along in rebuilding both the commission and the NPF.
