The Police Service Commission has refuted allegations of marginalisation of the South-East in the latest promotions of senior police officers made by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

It said that promotion in the force was based on the availability of vacancies, seniority, no pending disciplinary matter and merit, except in few cases of special promotion.

The Igbo sociocultural group had noted that only one Igbo son was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police in the recent exercise and that all the CPs in the South-East are Northerners.

It also observed that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the Force.

But the PSC in a statement on Sunday, by its spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, said ethnic consideration was not a factor in police promotion.

The statement was titled, ‘Re: Police promotion: Ohanaeze tells FG to revisit exercise; PSC says promotion not based on ethnic considerations.’

It said, “The commission wishes to state that promotions of senior police officers including promotion into the office of Commissioner of Police are based on availability of vacancies, seniority, free of any pending disciplinary matter and merit except in few cases of special promotion.

“Even for special promotion, there are laid down rules, regulations and conditions which an officer must satisfy such as; must have stayed two years in a rank; must not have had any special
promotion in the immediate past five years and must not have a pending disciplinary matter.”

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The PSC also explained that it allowed the Inspector-General of Police, who is the operational head of the police to recommend qualified and deserving officers for promotion.

This, Ani, said was a synergy the commission has forged with the police to ensure complementarity in the management of its officers.

He stated, “The commission do not and has never approved promotion of any police officer based on ethnic or any other considerations except the ones stated above.

“It is also important to state that it is not true that command commissioners of police in the South-East are all from the North.

“The CPs for Imo, Abia and Anambra states commands are not Northerners. Only the CPs for Enugu and Ebonyi are from the North just as there are Igbo CPs in other zones.

“The CP for Bayelsa and Oyo States are Igbos. There are also many other Igbo sons who are commissioners of police of different police formations in the country.”

The PSC also refuted claims that Igbos were missing in the top echelons of the force, stressing the former CP in charge of Police Budget who was promoted the Deputy Inspector General of Police and deployed as DIG A overseeing Administration and Finance, is an Igbo man.