THE Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu has said that 86 junior police officers who died and got injured during the ENDSARS ‘riots’ in Nigeria have been promoted.
The IGP made this known through a statement posted on the official Twitter handle of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday while announcing the promotion of 82,779 police officers.
Adamu said in the statement that the promotion is part of efforts aimed at boosting the ‘morale of personnel of the force’ nationwide.
He added that 16 of the officers who died during the protests got a posthumous promotion.
“The promotion of the officers comprising 56,779 Sergeants to Inspector, 17,569 Corporal to Sergeants and 8,431 Constables to Corporal is part of the on-going efforts at boosting the morale of personnel and repositioning the Force for greater efficiency.
“Those promoted also include 86 junior officers negatively impacted by the ENDSARS riots – 16 got special posthumous promotion while 70 others injured during the violence arising from the ENDSARS protests were equally specially promoted,” the statement read.
The IGP charged the promoted officers to see their promotion as a mark of additional responsibility and a call to rededicate themselves to their professional calling.
He enjoined them to continue to carry out their duties diligently and in conformity with best practices and respect for the rights of the citizen.
He noted that the promotion albeit, posthumously, of the officers who were killed by some ENDSARS protesters is a symbolic gesture in recognition of the ultimate price they paid in the service of the nation.
The IGP promised to work with all relevant agencies, organs of Government and other stakeholders in driving a successful reform of the Police for improved welfare and conditions of service towards better service delivery to the people.
Following the hijack of the protests by hoodlums in some part of the country, some police stations were attacked.
However, the victims of operatives of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad are yet to get justice as the panels of inquiry have been set up across many states in the country to ‘investigate’ cases of police brutality or misconduct.
At the end of the ‘investigation’ the responsibility of the panel is to make recommendations to the State governments on the compensation and discipline of the erring officers and victims of their victims.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94