From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has promoted seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to the rank of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) as part of efforts to strengthen the leadership structure of the Nigeria Police Force.
The promotions followed a merit-based process that considered seniority, service records and performance in both written examinations and oral interviews conducted at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
The newly promoted DIGs include Zachariah Fera Achinyan, formerly AIG in charge of Zone 4, Makurdi; Zango Ibrahim Baba, formerly AIG, Department of Logistics and Supply; Isyaku Mohammed, formerly AIG Armament at the Force Headquarters, Abuja; Margaret Agebe Ochalla, formerly AIG, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Lagos; Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman, formerly AIG, Police Accounts and Budget at Force Headquarters, Abuja; Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, formerly AIG in charge of Zone 15, Maiduguri; and Umar Shehu Nadada, formerly AIG, Zone 14, Katsina.
The Commission said the promotions were approved to fill vacancies created by the retirement of eight DIGs who previously occupied strategic positions within the Force.
The retirement of DIG Frank Mba along with seven others on Friday following the exit of former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the appointment of Olatunji Disu as the new Inspector-General of Police.
The latest exercise also follows the recent elevation of Fayoade Adegoke to the substantive rank of DIG, bringing him into the Force Management Team.
The Chairman of the PSC, Hashimu Salihu Argungu, a retired DIG, congratulated the newly promoted officers and urged them to uphold professionalism and justify the confidence reposed in them.
Argungu charged the officers to prioritise national security and maintain a cordial working relationship with the Commission in order to support ongoing reforms and the continued development of the Nigeria Police Force.
The members of the PSC board who participated as examiners during the promotion exercise included Paul Adamu Galumje, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court; Taiwo Lakanu, a retired DIG and Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters; and Onyemuche Nnamani, Secretary to the Commission.
