Fresh Promotion Crisis Hits Police As Officers In Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River Protest Omission

A fresh dispute over promotion in the Nigeria Police Force is exposing growing concerns about administrative inconsistencies, seniority and career progression among officers in several state commands.

Officers in Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Anambra and Cross River States have been affected by alleged omissions from a recent general promotion exercise, with personnel questioning how colleagues recruited in the same intake were promoted while they remain on their previous ranks.

Several affected officers who spoke on Wednesday said the problem followed a promotion exercise in which state commands were asked to submit names and details of eligible personnel, including phone numbers, before the promotion list was released.

However, when the list was eventually published, officers from some commands including Oyo, Akwa Ibom and Anambra were reportedly missing.

The affected personnel had initially expected a supplementary list to be released, but alleged that no correction had been made months after the exercise.

The situation has now created a seniority crisis, with some personnel now junior in rank despite joining the force earlier than colleagues who were promoted.

“We don’t really know where it hanged and who is responsible for the situation why our juniors from different states are now our seniors,” one affected officer said.

Seniority Dispute Sparks Confrontation

It was gathered that the promotion dispute has already produced practical problems for officers serving in different commands.

A source said an officer from Cross River State who was promoted to Corporal travelled to Oyo State and demanded that a colleague from the same intake salute him.

The Oyo-based officer, however, remained a Constable because his name was allegedly omitted from the promotion exercise, despite having a senior force number. The disagreement reportedly escalated into an argument before civilians intervened.

A source described the situation as an embarrassment to the Force, asking, “If you cannot treat your officers right, how do you expect the citizens to respect them?”

The latest controversy follows earlier complaints about promotion stagnation. On August 31, officers recruited in 1991 protested alleged delays in promotion, claiming they remained at the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police despite being due for Deputy Superintendent of Police since 2024.

One officer who joined in October 1991 said members of his recruitment class had spent 35 years on two-star rank.

“We want to retire now, and we are tagged with two star for 35 years, yet police did not give us our rank,” he said.

Another officer said some members of the same set had retired without receiving the promotion.

“There’s no reason! It’s just wickedness. There’s no reason, we don’t have any query,” he said.

Affected officers said they were not demanding preferential treatment but want transparency and a review of the exercise.

“We are not asking for anyone to be promoted without meeting the required criteria. We are simply appealing for transparency, fairness, and a proper review so that any genuine omissions can be corrected,” one officer said.

“Promotion is not only about rank, it is about an officer’s career, seniority, morale and dignity,” a police source added.

Officers also warned that delayed promotions have financial and retirement implications, as rank at retirement affects entitlements.

As of press time, the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission have not responded to the allegations. Calls to Force PRO, CSP Okokon Edem Iniedu, and PSC spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, were unanswered.