Police warn officers against lobbying for promotions amid misinformation surge

By Kunle Sanni

The Nigeria Police Force has issued a strong warning to its personnel over a growing trend of lobbying and unofficial promotion requests, which it says are being fuelled by misinformation following recent accelerated promotions within the Force.

In a statement released Thursday, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, Thursday expressed concern over what he described as a “wave of lobbying” directed at the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Service Commission. He attributed the development to misleading reports by some media platforms, which he said misrepresented the nature of the recent promotion exercise.

Adejobi clarified that the accelerated promotions recently granted to certain officers were based strictly on merit, in line with established guidelines. He emphasized that those officers had distinguished themselves through acts of exceptional performance, bravery, and dedication to duty.

“These accelerated promotions were not arbitrary,” Adejobi said. “They were part of a well-structured reward system aimed at recognizing professional excellence and commitment to duty. The beneficiaries were carefully selected based on standardized criteria.”

The Force also dismissed reports from an unnamed online platform alleging that promotions within the police hierarchy were being handed out indiscriminately. Adejobi labelled the claims as false and an attempt to undermine the credibility of the Force’s promotion system.

He stressed that the recent exercise should not be seen as the beginning of a blanket or general promotion drive, warning officers against any attempts to influence the process through unofficial channels.

“Officers are strongly cautioned against lobbying or seeking promotions through unethical means,” he said. “Such conduct undermines meritocracy, violates professional standards, and will attract disciplinary action in line with existing laws and regulations.”