The Police Service Commission has approved the dismissal of 19 senior police officers, which comprised ten assistant superintendents, six deputy superintendents, two chief superintendents, and one superintendent.
The commission also approved the reduction in the ranks of 19 other senior police officers, one assistant commissioner of police, one chief superintendent, two superintendents, two deputy superintendents, and 13 assistant superintendents.
Two Assistant Inspectors General of Police also received some punishments: one, a punishment of reprimand for refusal to carry out lawful instructions, and the other, a letter of warning for negligence.
The PSC’s spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, said several other officers found culpable received different punishments, including severe reprimand, reprimand, and letter of warning.
He said the decision was made at the commission’s last segment of its first plenary meeting in Abuja.
“Most of the officers dismissed are also to be prosecuted by the Legal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force. Three pending disciplinary matters were stepped down with a request for further information from the Inspector General of Police.
“The Commission also considered 23 appeals and petitions and nine legal matters/court judgments,” Ani added.
Ani said 110 pending disciplinary matters and 23 appeals and petition cases with 13 court judgements seeking compliance were deliberated on at the plenary.
Speaking, the Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu (retd.), said the commission will henceforth consider police disciplinary matters with dispatch to free police officers who are not found wanting to continue with their career progression and those found culpable to serve their punishments.
He warned that the Commission will not spare police officers who indulge in civil matters like land disputes, marital issues and rent-related disputes.
DIG Argungu said the courts should be allowed to do their duties while the police should pay more attention to criminal matters and threats to life.