Police Leadership Under Fire Over Lopsided CP Deployments

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd), have come under scrutiny for allegedly breaching the Police Act 2020 in the deployment of Commissioners of Police (CPs) to state commands across the country.

According to the Police Act 2020, both the PSC and the IGP have the authority to assign CPs to various state commands. However, the law also outlines clear guidelines for equitable deployment across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

Section 12(2) of Part IV of the Act states:
“The Police Service Commission shall, from among the Commissioners of Police appointed under subsection (1), assign Commissioners of Police to state commands and to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”

Furthermore, Section 12(4) adds:
“The Police Service Commission or the Inspector-General of Police, in assigning or deploying… Commissioners of Police under this section… shall reflect the principle of Federal Character as provided in the Constitution and under the relevant Act.”

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The Federal Character principle implies that every state and the FCT should have representation among CPs heading state commands. By this logic, the South West and South South zones should each have six CPs, the South East five, and the North—with 19 states—should have 19 CPs.

However, findings by Daily Sun indicate a skewed deployment pattern that allegedly favors the North and South West at the expense of the South East and South South.

Currently, 10 CPs from the South West are reportedly in charge of state commands, including Rivers, Delta, Lagos, FCT, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Cross River, and Plateau. In contrast, only two CPs from the South South and one from the South East are heading state commands. The North reportedly has 23 CPs in charge.

This imbalance has reportedly triggered discontent within the force.

A retired police officer, who asked not to be named, remarked: “Where each state does not produce a CP manning a state command at any given time, it is a violation of the Police Act.”

Another retired Assistant Inspector General of Police added: “No commissioner from the South East has ever served in Lagos or Kano state respectively, but CPs from the North and South West have been serving in the South East.”

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He recalled how former IGP Mike Okiro once attempted to post Donald Iroham, a CP from Imo State, to Lagos, only for the posting to be reversed en route, redirecting him to Kwara State instead.

Reacting to the allegations, PSC’s Public Relations Officer, Ikechukwu Ani, dismissed the claims, stressing that CP postings are not static and should not be viewed through a narrow lens.

“The appointment and posting of Commissioners of Police is dynamic. There comes a time when it may favour a particular region,” Ani said.

He noted that the South East currently has two Deputy Inspectors General of Police, more than any other region.

“The posting of CPs is not done by seniority. The IGP is the head of operations and knows who among the CPs can effectively manage each state.”

He assured that new postings would soon be announced as some CPs are set to retire, suggesting that upcoming changes could benefit underrepresented regions.

“There is no marginalisation… The IGP knows the capacity of every CP under him and posts them accordingly,” Ani maintained.