Fresh allegations of corruption have surfaced within the Nigeria Police promotion system following claims that several senior officers allegedly paid about ₦5 million each to secure promotion to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) under former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters on Saturday, including an internal police wireless message from the Force Headquarters in Abuja, reveal that the controversial promotions were officially communicated through a directive dated February 23, 2026.
The police wireless message, referenced SH.4700/FS/FHQ/ABJ/T.3/40, stated: “Promotion Senior Officers x CSP to ACP x Ref Polscom Letnos. PSC/Prom/1/1096/II dated 31/07/2025 and PSC/Prom/1/1096/II dated 05/08/2025 x Ingenpol has graciously approved the release of promotion of the under-listed CSPs to substantive rank of ACP x with effect from date indicated against their names.”
The message, which was circulated to multiple police departments and commands nationwide, also directed authorities to formally acknowledge the promotions.
“Convey Ingenpol’s hearty congratulation to the affected senior officers x Gazette and Force Order publications to follow x Please.”
The document listed eight officers promoted from the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to ACP. They include Ibrahim Tijani Umaira, Mohammed Amini, Usman Abdul Dimka, Iwok Ndifere, Mohammed I. Musa, Jimoh Shittu, Muhammad S. Ibrahim and Promise Wosu.
The promotions reportedly took effect between July 28 and August 5, 2025, according to the document.
However, insider sources within the police hierarchy told SaharaReporters that the promotions were not based strictly on merit but were influenced by payments made to officials within the Police Service Commission.
“The Police Service Commission secretly released this promotion under former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun,” a senior officer familiar with the matter said.
According to the source, the officers allegedly paid ₦5 million each to secure the ACP rank.
“These are new special promotions secretly done under Egbetokun. There are allegations that these men paid ₦5 million to get ACP rank while their course mates are left unpromoted,” the top source added.
The development, sources say, has generated dissatisfaction among many officers who claim they were bypassed despite meeting the necessary criteria for elevation.
“This has created serious tension within the force because many officers who are qualified were ignored while others suddenly jumped ranks,” another insider said.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigeria Police Force nor the Police Service Commission had responded to requests for comments regarding the allegations.
There have been longstanding concerns over transparency in promotions within the Nigeria Police Force, where officers have repeatedly accused senior authorities of favoritism, bribery and irregular special promotions.
In a related development on Friday, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that eight senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force retired from service on Friday and are said to be weighing legal action to challenge the circumstances surrounding their retirement.
Deputy Inspectors-General of Police include former Force Public Relations Officer Frank Mba, Sadiq Idris Abubakar, Bzigu Yakubu Kwazi (DIG in charge of Operations), Adebola Hamzat, Basil Okwuoma Idegwu, Mohammed Gumel, Dankwara Adamu Mohammed, and Funsho Adegboye.
Sources within the police hierarchy disclosed that the retired DIGs are currently reviewing the circumstances surrounding their exit from service.
According to the sources, the officers are considering legal action and may approach the court to challenge the decision.
The potential legal challenge is expected to focus on whether due process was followed in determining their retirement dates and whether the action complied with existing service regulations governing tenure and retirement within the Nigeria Police Force.
It was earlier on Thursday reported that the DIGs were set to be compulsorily retired following the appointment of Tunji Disu as the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Earlier on Friday, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that seven AIGs invited by the Police Service Commission (PSC) for promotion interviews had successfully passed the screening.
As a result, they are scheduled to be decorated as DIGs by IGP Tunji Disu on Monday. The officers are AIG Zacharia Fera Achinyan, AIG Zango Ibrahim Baba, AIG Isyaku Mohammed, AIG Margaret Agebe Ochalla, AIG Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman, AIG Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, and AIG Umar Shehu Nadada.
The promotion screening took place on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 9 a.m.
In late February, SaharaReporters had reported that appointment of a new Acting Inspector-General of Police reignited a fierce national debate over the controversial practice of compulsorily retiring senior officers, highlighted by the tragic legal victory of the late Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Moses Ambakina Jitoboh.
At the center of this storm is a landmark judgment that declared such retirements unconstitutional, delivered just days after the man who fought for it was laid to rest.
When Egbetokun was appointed in June 2023, the Police Service Commission (PSC) compulsorily retired the then 54-year-old DIG Moses Jitoboh, despite his having several years left before reaching the statutory retirement age of 60.
The PSC had justified the move by citing a "police tradition" of retiring senior officers when a junior is promoted over them to avoid "status reversal."
Jitoboh, refusing to accept the decision, dragged the PSC and the Nigeria Police Force to the National Industrial Court in Suit No: NICN/ABJ/274/2023.
In the suit he argued that his appointment was governed by statutory flavor and could not be terminated at the whim of a policy intent that contradicted the law.
In a landmark judgment delivered on January 13, 2025, Hon. Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae held that Jitoboh’s compulsory retirement was void, illegal, and unconstitutional.
The court had ruled that the PSC lacked the power to arbitrarily truncate the career of a senior officer who had neither attained the mandatory age nor served the required 35 years.
Post a Comment