The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved a new wave of promotions across senior ranks in the Nigeria Police Force, as part of its efforts to institutionalize merit, discipline, and professionalism through a compulsory examination-based system.
Twelve Commissioners of Police have been elevated to the rank of Assistant Inspectors General (AIG), while sixteen Deputy Commissioners were promoted to substantive Commissioners of Police. In addition, twenty-seven Assistant Commissioners moved up to become Deputy Commissioners.
The Commission, however, noted that one Assistant Commissioner who was absent from the process was not promoted.
Also promoted were 145 Chief Superintendents of Police to the rank of Assistant Commissioners. This group includes officers from both general duty and specialized departments, such as the Police Airwing, Medical Services, Pharmacy, Laboratory Science, Physiotherapy, and Nursing. Others promoted under this category included religious chaplains and aircraft engineers.
In a boost to technical units, twenty-nine Superintendents, all specialists in fields like information technology, engineering works, and the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), were promoted to Chief Superintendents of Police.
Thirty-eight Deputy Superintendents from various specialist departments were also elevated to the rank of Superintendent.
The promotions followed a structured process that included written examinations and interview sessions conducted by the Commission.
The entire exercise was coordinated by retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, fdc, who serves as Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters. He submitted the promotion report to the Commission in plenary, where it was approved.
Commenting on the outcome of the exercise, retired DIG Mohammed Argungu reaffirmed the Commission’s resolve to enforce the examination system as a standard for promotions.
He described the process as being in line with global best practices, and warned officers that those unwilling to meet the new standards would be phased out.
“Promotion exams have come to stay. The Commission will get it right and officers must be ready or be shown the way out,” Argungu said.
Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Solomon Arase, congratulated the successful officers and urged them to rededicate themselves to service and national security. He emphasized that the Nigeria Police Force of the 21st century must be highly competent and capable of tackling sophisticated crime.
“The Police Force must be good enough to hold its own anywhere in the world and ensure Nigeria is free from criminals and criminality,” Arase stated.
The Commission assured that it remains committed to fairness, transparency, and excellence in its promotion and appointment processes, noting that this is crucial to restoring integrity and effectiveness in policing across the country.
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