PRESS STATEMENT
6th August, 2008
AFENIFERE REJECTS POLICE DEMOTIONS
Afenifere is quite uncomfortable with the demotion of 140 officers of the
Nigerian Police Force by the Police Service Commission.
The term “demotion” in both the Armed Forces and the Police connotes
punishment for grievous offences. The Police Service Commission has yet to
tell us the offences committed by these officers.
Beyond this however, we have other issues to take up with the Police
Service Commission:
(i) We are alarmed that about 40 of the demoted officers, compare to 9
from the North, come from the South-West geopolitical zone which means
they are all Yoruba. We want to be convinced that this is not another
continuation of geographical manipulations to ensure that a certain ethnic
stock continues to take all the sensitive positions in the Force now and
in the future.
(ii) The demotion of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is an embarrassment this
administration will have to contend with. Ribadu was posted from the EFCC
to Kuru on the excuse that he was an AIG who has not gone through NIPSS
Course. This means the regime accepted his rank. To turn around now and
demote him is a confirmation of the fears that Yar’Adua-lity is the
hallmark of public policy under the administration.
(iii) The late Haz Iwendi was buried as a Commission of Police with full
honours. Are they going to exhume his body and rebury him with his new
rank?
(iv) If the excuse for these demotions was that the officers were promoted
out of rank, why is the name of Mr Mike Okiro (IGP) not on this list? It
is on record that he was promoted from CP to DIG without ever being an
AIG. Even his confirmation as IG by passed Onovo who was senior to him.
From all the above, our deductions are that these exercises were carried
out for two reasons:
(i) Ethnic manipulations of the Force.
(ii) Humiliation of Ribadu.
‘Yinka Odumakin
National Publicity Secretar