The rumoured demotion of both policemen was seen in
a memo, purported to have emanated from the office of the Police Service
Commission (PSC).
The memo was first sighted on the internet in the early
hours and by mid-day; it was already all over the social media.
The PSC Chairman, Mike Okiro, however, denied that such memo had the approval
of the board.
A source in the PSC said: “We heard the rumour; we
have received several calls concerning it and I can tell you, that it’s not
true. I can’t say the letter is a forged one. I can, however, tell you that the
board did not approve that letter.”
The memo was dated October 8, 2017 and signed by M.F.
Istifanus, Permanent Secretary for chairman, PSC. The memo was titled: ‘Withdrawal
of Acting Appointment: AP.25095 Mohimi D. Edgal and AP.36665 Aji Ali Janga.’
The memo further states: “Our letter with Ref. No.
PS/1924/Vol.IX/dated 22nd August, 2017 conveying the Honourable
Chairman’s anticipatory approval for the placement of the above named officers
as Acting Commissioners of Police refers please.”
The document continues: “The Commission at its 24th
Plenary Meeting of 27th and 28th September, 2017 took a
decision not to ratify the anticipatory approval. The officers are, therefore, reverted
to their substantive rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). Please accept
the assurance of the Commission’s high esteem.”
No reason was given for the withdrawal of the
approval to elevate the officers.
If
the demotion had been true, Imohimi would have had to step down from his
position as the number one policeman in the state. Imohimi replaced Fatai
Owoseni as the CP of Lagos State in acting capacity. Imohimi had spent just 42 days as the acting CP in Lagos, before
the memo drama.
The Commissioner representing the
Media and South East (PSC), Dame Comfort Obi, said: “Imohimi remains the
Acting CP; nothing has changed."
The Police High Command in Abuja
described the news as false and handiwork of some bad policemen.
According to Okiro, he had been on
leave, adding that when he learnt that such memo was in circulation, he called
the Commission to confirm. He disclosed that after his findings, he discovered
that nobody authorized such a memo. The PSC Vice-Chairman; Alhaji Yakubu
Mohammed also denied knowledge of the memo.
He said that he was not aware of the
alleged demotion of the two officers.
A senior police chief with the Force
Secretary office in Abuja, who wishes to remain anonymous said: “This is the
work of mischief-makers and those hell-bent on placing the Commission and the
IGP at loggerheads. They are certainly doing what they know best. This is a classic
case of bad cops at work. Nobody knows what they intended to achieve.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of
Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde described the memo of the purported
demotion as, “a fake letter being circulated by revisionists who are stunned by
the level of progress that Imohimi has brought to Lagos in just few weeks.”
The statement says: “It’s obvious
that a lot of people are unhappy with the major strides the Acting CP has made
in such a short time. It will be recalled that it was Edgal as DCP who led the
police intervention that led to the dismantling of the dreaded Badoo cult and
destruction of several shrines that harbour cultists and kidnappers.
"It will also be recalled that
the previous commissioner had refused to vacate his position on Edgal’s
appointment claiming he had not received any signal.”
This wouldn’t be the first time that
official memos, approving promotion, demotion or deployment of senior officers,
have walked out of the office of the PSC, into public domain.
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