Police Service Commission finally promotes Magu

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has promoted Ibrahim Magu, former acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ikechukwu Ani, PSC spokesman, announced Magu’s elevation to the level of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) on Monday.

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He said Magu was promoted alongside some senior officers at the 15th Plenary Meeting of the commission on Friday.

He added acting DIG John Ogbonnaya Amadi was appointed a substantive Deputy Inspector General of Police, while Zama Bala Senchi was also appointed a Deputy Inspector General of Police.

He said aside Magu, seven Commissioners of Police were promoted to Assistant Inspectors General of Police.

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.

“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.

“The Commission also promoted 1698 Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASP) to Deputy Superintendents of Police, 6119 Inspectors who attended the recent Departmental Selection Board (DSB) were promoted to ASP11 while 1965 ASP11 were confirmed ASPs. The Commission also approved the conversion of 19 Engineers from General Duty to Specialists and upgraded to the rank of Deputy Superintendents of Police which is the statutory entry level for Pilots and Aircraft maintenance engineers in line with Aviation scheme of service.”

The eight Commissioners of Police promoted to AIGs were;

• • CP Mustafa Magu Ibrahim
  • Abraham Egong Ayim
  • Okunlola Kola Kamaldeen
  • Andrew Amieengheme
  • Akeera Mohammed Younous
  • Celestine Amechi Elumelu
  • Ngozi Vivian Onadeko
  • Danladi Bitrus Lalas

On July 7, 2020, when he was still at the helm of affairs in the EFCC, Magu was arrested, detained, and suspended as the acting chairman of the anti-graft agency — after he appeared before a panel probing allegations of gross misconduct against him.

The panel led by Justice Ayo Salami subsequently recommended Magu’s removal as EFCC boss “for failing to properly account for N431,000,000.00 security votes/information fund released to the office of the Executive Chairman of EFCC between November 2015 and May 2020”.

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He was also accused of causing the “disappearance of evidence, stoppage and suppression of cases under investigation and prosecution, and omitting to arrest suspects” in cases involving a former deputy senate president and a former managing director of Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC).

Magu was further accused of suppressing high profile cases involving four former governors, one of whom is currently a senator.

However, since the panel submitted the report in November 2020, only a few recommendations have been implemented.

Magu has repeatedly denied the allegations against him through presentations made before the panel by Wahab Shittu, his lawyer.

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The former EFCC boss also maintained that he never enriched himself while serving as head of the anti-graft agency, adding that the allegations against him are “unfortunate, spiteful, malicious and intended to cruelly destroy my hard-earned reputation”.

Meanwhile, the federal government is yet to make public the White Paper on the report of the Salami panel.