The Nigerian Police Force has dismissed a total of 18 officers due to a variety of offences, including abuse of power, gross indiscipline, and extortion according to expert reports.
The data presented in the report is based on a media analysis that examines the number of law enforcement officers who were dismissed during the months of October and December in 2022, as well as April in 2023.
On October 4, 2022, the Police Service Commission terminated the employment of seven high-ranking police officers on the grounds of purported severe misconduct. Additionally, the commission sanctioned the demotion of ten other officers.
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As per the statement released by the PSC, the group of discharged law enforcement officials comprised a Chief Superintendent of Police, a Superintendent of Police, and five Assistant Superintendents of Police. It was indicated that a single point (SP) had been retired due to public interest.
The commission implemented a reduction in rank for several officers, including a CSP who was demoted to SP, three SPs who were demoted to DSPs, two DSPs who were demoted to ASPs, and four ASPs who were demoted to Inspectors.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Berde, announced on December 22, 2022, that his command had terminated the employment of seven police officers due to their flagrant violation of established police protocols.
On April 13, 2023, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) terminated the employment of three high-ranking police officers due to their misuse of firearms, abuse of authority, severe lack of discipline, and excessive depletion of live ammunition.
The aforementioned law enforcement personnel, namely Inspector Dahiru Shuaibu and Sergeants Abdullahi Badamasi and Isah Danladi, who were previously assigned as security detail for a musician in Kano, were captured on video discharging firearms into the atmosphere.
On April 19, 2023, Inspector Ubi Ebri was dismissed by the Delta State Police Command for reportedly taking the life of a 26-year-old man, Onyeka Ibe, on the Ugbolu-Illah Road in Asaba. The alleged motive for the act was the victim’s purported refusal to offer a bribe of N100.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has received commendation from Pelumi Olajengbesi, a human rights lawyer based in Abuja, for upholding discipline within the force.
According to Olajengbesi, the managing partner at Law Corridor, the maintenance of a high level of professionalism and strict discipline within the police force would result in a substantial improvement that would effectively curtail extrajudicial killings and the misuse of firearms by police officers.
The speaker remarked that IG Usman Alkali Baba has exhibited strong leadership qualities and a sense of accountability by ensuring that officers who have engaged in unlawful conduct are held accountable. Instances of officers engaging in criminal activities, such as extortion, brutality, and extra-judicial killings, have resulted in their dismissal, demotion, and prosecution.
The actions taken by the Inspector General (IG) are likely to serve as a powerful deterrent to other officers who may be considering engaging in comparable behaviours, as they convey the message that such conduct will no longer be accepted within the police force. Equally commendable is the prioritisation of expanding punitive measures against the commanders who hold direct supervisory roles over infamous police units.
