Samuel Adesola, Abuja
Joint Union Congress of the Police Service Commission, on Wednesday, demanded the removal of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The union accused Egbetokun of misrepresenting facts about the recent recruitment exercise into the police force.
The recruitment process has been generating tension between the police and the commission’s union.
Last Saturday, the police said that the recruitment was blighted by corruption and other irregularities. But the PSC swiftly accused the police of attempting to take over the process.
The union’s Chairman, Adoyi Adoyi, at a news conference, on Wednesday, said Egbetokun’s actions could potentially lead to chaos, which is contrary to his professional duties.
Adoyi said, “We begin this press conference with a clarion call on the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, to immediately relieve IGP Kayode Egbetokun of his appointment.
“A public officer who misleads the President and causes confusion in the country may lead to chaos, which is antithetical to his duty as a police officer.
“His behavior is reminiscent of the Biblical Haman, who deceived his principal in an attempt to wipe out an entire nation but was thwarted by divine intervention.
“Therefore, we call on the President to responsibly relieve him of his duties for the following reasons.”
The union’s chairman also alleged that certain elements within the police attempted to smuggle over 1,000 names into the recruitment list.
He stated, “We have reliable information indicating that elements within the Police Force tried to smuggle over 1,000 names into the recruitment list. This manipulation was a severe breach of the recruitment process and a calculated attempt to undermine the credibility of the entire exercise.”
Adoyi dismissed the allegations made by the IGP against the commission as false, unfounded, and irresponsible.
He added, “The allegations of fraud and other unwholesome acts levelled against the Police Service Commission and its staff are unfounded, spurious, speculative, and most irresponsible, especially considering how these allegations were made public before official channels for addressing such matters were utilized.”
