By our Reporter
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has promoted seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to the rank of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) in a move aimed at strengthening the leadership structure of the Nigeria Police Force.
The promotions were based on merit, seniority, service records, and performance in a written examination and oral interview conducted at the commission’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
The newly promoted officers include Zachariah Fera Achinyan, formerly AIG in charge of Zone 4, Makurdi; Zango Ibrahim Baba, formerly AIG in the Department of Logistics and Supply; Isyaku Mohammed, formerly AIG Armament at the Force Headquarters, Abuja; and Margaret Agebe Ochalla, formerly AIG at the FCID Annex in Lagos.
Others are Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman, formerly AIG Police Accounts and Budget at the Force Headquarters; Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, formerly AIG Zone 15, Maiduguri; and Umar Shehu Nadada, formerly AIG Zone 14, Katsina.
The promotion exercise followed the recent elevation of Fayoade Adegoke to the substantive rank of DIG, enabling him to join the Force Management Team.
According to the PSC, the promotions were necessitated by vacancies created following the retirement of eight Deputy Inspectors-General of Police who previously occupied key positions within the force.
Congratulating the officers, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Hashimu Salihu Argungu (rtd), urged them to uphold professionalism and justify the confidence reposed in them.
He also charged the newly promoted DIGs to prioritise national security and maintain a cordial working relationship with the commission to ensure the continued growth and development of the Nigeria Police Force.
Members of the PSC board who participated in the promotion exercise as examiners included Paul Adamu Galumje, retired Justice of the Supreme Court; Taiwo Lakanu, retired DIG and Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters; and Onyemuche Nnamani, Secretary to the Commission.
