THE Police Service Commission (PSC) has promoted the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police despite a pending investigation report concerning him.
The Commission’s spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, announced Magu’s elevation on Monday.
According to Ani, Magu was promoted alongside some senior officers at the 15th Plenary Meeting of the Commission on Friday.
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He said that aside from Magu, seven Commissioners of Police were promoted to Assistant Inspectors General of Police.
Ani said the Commission also approved the promotion of 23 Deputy Commissioners to the next rank of Commissioners of Police, 31 Assistant Commissioners to Deputy Commissioners of Police, and 63 Chief Superintendents of Police promoted to Assistant Commissioners of Police.
He said, “The Plenary Meeting, which began on Wednesday, May 11th 2022, was presided over by Alhaji Musiliu Smith, Chairman of the Commission and former Inspector General of Police. DIG Amadi, currently acting, replaced late DIG Joseph Egbunike and will be representing the South East in the Force Management team, while DIG Senchi was the most senior in the AIG cadre.
“Other decisions taken by the Commission at the Plenary were the promotion of 57 Superintendents of Police earlier skipped when their mates were promoted to the next rank of Chief Superintendents.
Other categories of Superintendents of Police such as the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Course 4, Inspectors Course 37 and regular ASP’s course 25 and 26 were also promoted to Chief Superintendents, having met established requirements.
Magu’s promotion comes a few weeks before his retirement.
The former EFCC boss missed two previous promotions as the PSC said then that it needed clearance from the Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami.
His last promotion was in 2018, when he was elevated to a full commissioner in the Police.
President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Magu in 2015 to head the EFCC.
However, despite repeated nominations to the National Assembly, lawmakers declined to approve his appointment.
The ICIR reported that Magu spent nights in detention at the Police Force Criminal Investigations Department (Force CID) in July 2020 after he was arrested by security operatives attached to the inter-agency panel set up by the President.
A judicial panel headed by the retired President of the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami, was set up to probe him for alleged corruption and insubordination.
He denied the allegations and said Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), was persecuting him.
The report of the investigation has not been made public.
A reporter with the ICIR
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