Alleged Illegal Promotion: Force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, IG’s PA, 1498 others to lose ranks

By Ahmed Ajikobi with Agency Report

The Nigeria Police Force spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, the Personal Assistant to the Inspector General of Police, Abdulkarim Abdullahi and 1498 other officers may lose their ranks over alleged illegal promotion among the officers.
According to Sahara Reporters, about 1,500 officers in the Nigeria Police Force were promoted without recourse to due process and laid-down procedures as stipulated by the Police Act.
Moshood was said to have been promoted twice in three months against the PSC practice and his elevation was said to have been facilitated by the Chief Personal Security to President Muhammadu Buhari, (DCP) Abdulkarim Dauda.  The latter solicited Moshood’s promotion from former chairman of PSC, Mike Okiro in a telephone conversation obtained by Sahara Reporters.
Already a committee has been set-up to reverse the promotion as massive fraud, corruption and irregularities have been discovered in the promotion and no fewer than 1,500 elevated officers it was gathered, may lose their new ranks.
The Musiliu Smith-led Police Service Commission was set up following a series of complaints of abuse of due process and maladministration in the exercise.
A reliable source close to the committee said that many beneficiaries of the promotion paid as much as N2 million; N1 million and N800,000 in exchange for the new ranks.
The source revealed that those who left the Police College two years ago were promoted above their senior colleagues who had finished the same programme 10 years ago, simply because the latter group could not afford to pay.
Findings revealed that the promotion letters of the officers were signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Musa Istafanus, who was said to have kicked against the probe and vowed to frustrate the report of the committee.
It was gathered by the online medium that Istifanus who is due for retirement refused to leave. The Permanent Secretary was also said to have been moved to the Police Service Commission following series of complaints of his misdemeanour by the former Minister of Mines and Steel, Kayode Fayemi to the Head of Service of the Federation.
It was learnt that Istafanus single-handedly awarded a gate security contract to his friend at the sum of over N100 million without the knowledge of the board. He also awarded a CCTV camera contract to one of his cronies at the sum of N23 million without recourse to due process.
Several calls made to Istafanus’ mobile line to get his reaction were all diverted.
Moshood was promoted from the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and three months later in June 2018, he was elevated from ACP to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).
According to the General Promotion Guidelines spelt out for the Police Service Commission, it takes a minimum of three years for an officer between the ranks of ASP to ACP to be considered for another promotion, during which time he/she must have attended the relevant promotion course and passed the prescribed examination.
Another beneficiary of the ‘promotion largesse’ was Personal Assistant to the current IGP, Abdulkarim Abdullahi, who was promoted to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), whereas his Course mates are Superintendent of Police (SP), having been promoted to that rank only last year.
When National Pilot contacted the Police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood on the allegation, last night, he terminated the call and further efforts to contact him proved abortive as his mobile phone appeared switched off.
Reply to text message sent to his phone was still being awaited as at the time of filing this report.