Home Editorials PSC debunks dismissal of Shogunle, Badmos

PSC debunks dismissal of Shogunle, Badmos

by Bioreports
20 views
psc-debunks-dismissal-of-shogunle,-badmos

By Precious Igbonwelundu and Nicholas Kalu, Abuja

News of the dismissal of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Abayomi Shogunle and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Dolapo Badmos are incorrect, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has said.

Shogunle was a former head of the Police Public Compliant Unit, while Badmos, a former spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command and later the Zone Two Command.

A list purportedly submitted by the Presidential Panel on Police Reforms was Saturday afternoon posted online, including names and service numbers of 37 officers alleged to have been recommended for dismissal, demotion or warning.

Spokesman for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, said the news of their dismissal could not be true since the commission had not met.

“The commission did not sit yesterday and I am not aware of any dismissal. The commission meets officially before any decision is taken and it has not met,” he said.

The list, which was shared by a foreign policy analyst, Ayo Akanji, identified affected officers as Abdulhameed Awodi, APNo119444; Erhabo Uwagbie, APNo86180; Idolor Godsent, APNo158580; Mustpha Abubakar, APNo119167; Idoko, APNo 85036; Ilya Aliyu, AP94982; Asabe Luke, APNo130296; and Angela Akaro, AP No 50829.

Others include Iyanda Olufemi AP No 122857; Gajere Taluwai, AP No 50569; Ehis Oba, AP No 129595; Edem Michael, AP No 1256967; Agha Ama, AP No 119535; Yusuf Lateef, AP No 36725; Eliaz Casmir, AP No 57688; Oluwafunmilola, AP No 122864; Mkay Ali, AP No 111702; Ado Doko, AP No 46664; Sani Muhammad, AP No 50679; Adamu Shaba, AP No 140320; Adamu Bunu, AP No 42565; Giade Sabo, AP No 50579; Dattijo Abdullahi, AP No 87072; Yahaya Shem, AP No 86216; Tijani Richard, AP No 46670; Nwamanna Nelson, AP No 46675.

Also listed were Abayomi Shogunle, AP No 42056; Dominic Agasa, AP No 120397; Nanbol Lado, AP No 51071; Ogalgu Tochuckwu, AP No 190655; Sanusi Rasaki, AP No 57052; Fakorede Victor, AP No 41985; Dolapo Badmos, AP No 87058; Henry Kaboshio, AP No 50431; Talba Mohammed, AP No 119579; John Rotimi, AP No 57622; Oviemuno Richard, AP No 87501; Anonde Christopher, AP No 90934; Godwin Agbo, AP No 95853; Dr. Emmanuel Eze, AP No 50282; Hassan Hamidu, AP No 118063; Theresa Nuhu, 59661; Yisa Gana, AP No 47717; Ekong Sunday, AP No 63069; Oboh Irene, AP No 145355; Okoukoin Daniel, AP No 181311; and Ogedegbe Abraham, AP No 86152.

In no time, the list went viral online with people celebrating the alleged dismissal of Shogunle and Badmus who are both active social media users and have in the past run into conflicts with young people.

Checks by our correspondent revealed that neither Shogunle nor Badmus have been dismissed from the police. It was gathered that their names might have entered the list because they were reprimanded at one point or the other.

A senior police officer told our correspondent that the news was fake wondering what the duo of Shogunle and Badmos might have done to warrant dismissal.

“Neither of them were in SARS. So, if they are talking about dismissal of former SARS officers, they should not be among.

“It can’t be true. Maybe they were queried before and punishments were meted out to them. Some punishments can be very minor, for example, a warning letter. Social media lies are many. I am sure it isn’t dismissal for all the names on the list,” he said.

Meanwhile, the PSC on Friday promised to partner the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take immediate action on the report of the Presidential Panel on SARS reforms.

According to Ani, the PSC met with the NHRC to speed up action on the implementation of the 2018 report which, among other things, recommended the dismissal of 37 and prosecution of 24 officers.

He said the NHRC team, which was led by Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, formerly presented the report to the PSC Chairman, Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police and solicited the commission’s support for the implementation of the aspects of the report covered by PSC’s constitutional mandate.

Ojukwu, Ani said, told Smith they “have come to see a PSC determined to play a leading role in the reform of the Nigeria Police Force.”

Giving details on how the panel received complaints, Ojukwu explained that it called for and received 113 complaints on alleged human rights violations from across the country and 22 memoranda on suggestions on how to reform, restructure SARS and the Nigeria Police in general.

At the end of the public hearing, Ojukwu said “the panel recommended 37 police officers for dismissal and 24 were recommended for prosecution. The panel also directed the Inspector General of Police to unravel the identity of 22 officers involved in the violation of the human rights of innocent citizens.

A copy of the report was thereafter presented to the commission,” Ani stated.

The presidential panel had, among other things, investigated allegations of human rights violations and abuse of office against SARS and made recommendations on how to reform the outfit.

In his remarks, Smith said the PSC would collaborate and support the NHRC in the promotion of good governance.

He said that for an effective reform of the much maligned SARS, there must be a deliberate effort to select capable, professional and credible people to replace the disbanded outfit. The selected officers, he added, must be properly trained and exposed to regular training.

Smith said there must also be close supervision of the newly selected officers, so that the nation would not experience the rot that became the fate of the disbanded unit.

Any misconduct, he noted, should be severely and promptly handled.

He said government should show more concern to the funding of its vital agencies to do their jobs.

He also made a case for proper accommodation for the officers of the Nigeria Police, stressing that these officers need good accommodation to put in their best,” said Ani.

You may also like

Leave a Comment