The Police Service Commission on Tuesday announced the demotion of the former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, from the rank of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police to Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Also demoted from the rank of commissioners to deputy
commissioners are the late Mr. Haz Iwendi, Mr. Solomon
Arase, Mr. Amodu Ali, Mr. Columbus Okaro, Mr. Olayinka
Balogun, and Mr. Adebayo Ajileye. Iwendi, a former Force
Public Relations Officer, was until his death on May 5, 2008,
the Commissioner, Kaduna State Police Command.
It was learnt that Okaro is due for retirement October.
Nine Deputy Commissioners of Police were also demoted to
Assistant Commissioners of Police; eight ACPs to Chief
Superintendents of Police; 11 CSPs to Superintendents; 13
SPs demoted to Deputy Superintendents of Police; and 29
DSPs to Assistant Superintendents of Police.
Sixty three ASPs were demoted to Inspectors.
Ribadu, who was sent to the National Institute for Policy
and Strategic Studies on a mandatory course in a
controversial circumstance, was a Deputy Commissioner of Police when he was appointed the EFCC chairman in 2003.
In December 2006, he was elevated to the post of Commissioner of Police alongside Iwendi. Barely four months after, Ribadu was again moved up to the level of AIG.
Ribadu’s demotion and the other affected officers were contained in a statement by the PSC Chairman, Mr. Parry Osayande, on Tuesday. The development therefore puts to rest earlier speculations that the former EFFC boss was marked for demotion by the police.
The PSC explained in the statement that the decision to demote the officers was because their promotions were irregular and done without regard for the laws guiding such exercise.
Besides, it said it was imperative to preserve espirit de corps since their promotions had created disquiet within the Nigeria Police Force.
Osayande, a former DIG, said the PSC found as very disturbing, the irregular promotion of 140 officers without due recourse to the PSC which had the statutory responsibility to do so.
The statement reads in part, “The commission notes that the special promotion was not based on the established criteria and was a total breach of Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution and the Police Service Commission Act of 2001.
“It has therefore been the cause of disillusionment, agitations and indiscipline within the NPF.
“Consequently, after due considerations of this administration’s avowed commitment to the rule of law, and in order to guarantee a level-playing field for all members of the Police Force, the commission re-examined the guidelines for promotion for all the ranks ranging from the Deputy Inspector-General of Police to constable.”
According to the PSC, the guidelines for promotion included seniority, merit, minimum of three years on a rank, participation in promotion course, passing of prescribed examination and involvement in the field of selection.
Other criteria include recommendation from the Departmental Selection Board in respect of those attending Departmental Selection Board interview and good Annual Performance Evaluation Report Grading over a period of three years.
In addition, a candidate billed for promotion must not have a pending disciplinary matter, complaints or petitions of gross misconduct such as human rights violation, torture, extra-judicial killing, corruption and rape. Such candidate must have passed oral interview conducted by the PSC.
The commission said special promotions must be based on exceptional performance such as acts of gallantry and bravery and not by doing normal jobs.
The PSC therefore directed that all those demoted should revert to their former ranks with immediate effect.
However, it promised that all those that had met the criteria for promotion would be considered on merit, subject to availability of vacancy and recommendation of the Inspector-General of Police.
Based on the promotion guidelines, Ribadu and others will have to wait till October I, 2008 for promotion to their next ranks. The PSC indicated that their last promotions were October 1, 2005.
Meanwhile, there were reports that there was an attempt to arrest Ribadu, on Tuesday, by security officials in Kuru, Jos.
The attempted arrest, purportedly for questioning, our correspondent gathered from a reliable source, was unsuccessful.
It is not clear why the former EFCC chairman was targeted for arrest but the source disclosed that Ribadu might have escaped after a tip-off that he was being trailed.
Our correspondent gathered that there was apprehension over Ribadu’s safety and his future in the police.
Another former official of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, was on Monday arrested by the police, following complaints by Ribadu’s successor, Mrs. Farida Waziri, that he was allegedly keeping some documents allegedly containing some high-profile corruption cases.
Magu has however insisted that he was not in possession of any document since he was just a unit head and not a case officer.
Obasanjo may lose PDP BOT chairmanship
The National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has said that the provisions of the PDP constitution which made the chairmanship of the party’s Board of Trustees an exclusive preserve of former Presidents will be reviewed.
The party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, told journalists after a meeting by the party’s NEC in Abuja on Tuesday, that a special convention would be convened in the first quarter of 2009 to amend the PDP constitution and reconstitute the BOT.
With the decision, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s position as the BOT chairman is on the precipice.
Baraje said the decision to review how the PDP produced its BOT chairman was taken after the committee considered recommendations by the Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed-led committee that reviewed the report of the Dr. Alex Ekwueme-led National Reconciliation Committee.
He said, “NEC also resolved to propose an amendment to the provisions of the Party‘s Constitution that deals with the leadership, membership and functions of the Board of Trustees. NEC accepted the recommendation that the BOT should revert to its advisory role as contained in the PDP Constitution 2001 (as amended).
“NEC also accepted the recommendation that any member of the Board of Trustees can aspire to chair the board as against the current provision that limits the chairmanship to former holders of particular offices.
“NEC also resolved on the reconstitution of the BOT in line with the proposed amendments. A special national convention of the party shall hold in the first quarter of 2009 to consider these constitutional amendment proposals.”
Obasanjo became chairman of the BOT in a controversial circumstance in June 2007 after the party’s constitution was tactically amended for the purpose.
The development has remained a source of friction within the party with some leading members, including the G21, insisting that the former President should be removed from the position.
The Ekwueme panel had, in a report it submitted to the party on October 9, 2006, said a lasting peace could only return to the PDP if the appointment of Obasanjo and others into the BOT was revisited.
In its own report, the Bello-led committee recommended that a mini-convention should be convened to enable the party amend its constitution and reconstitute the BOT.
Also on Tuesday, the NEC resolved to convene a summit of the founding fathers of the PDP in the last quarter of 2008 “to deliberate on how best the party can revert to the original values and principles on which the Party was founded. The committee believes this would form the bedrock for reconciliation and internal democracy”.
Arguing that the era of arbitrariness was over, Baraje said the PDP would henceforth “commit itself strictly to its electoral guidelines and constitutional provisions in issues of nomination”.
He also announced that the party would set up monitoring committees to evaluate the performance of its elected officials in each of the six geo-political zones in the country.
A think-tank at national and state levels that will brainstorm over key issues is also to be established by the party.
Obasanjo, the President of the Senate, Mr. David Mark, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole and all the South- West governors were absent from the meeting.
The NEC meeting also approved the establishment of a National Disciplinary Committee. The committee has Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, Chief Abu King Sholuwa, Chief Wike Nyeson, Mr. Chief Olusola Oke, Chief Tony N. Ezebuiro, Mr. Shuaibu Shehu and Dr. Musa Babayo as members.
Although reconciliation issues appeared to dominate NEC’s discussions, there were groups with placards from Kano and Ekiti states who were protesting against alleged manipulations by former Governors Musa Kwankwaso and Ayo Fayose.
