Earlier, an engineer, Ibrahim Saliu, claimed some policemen attached to the Meiran Police Station in Lagos State extorted N200,000 from him on Saturday.

According to Saliu, the officers, alongside the station’s DPO, threatened him and his brother with jail time should they fail to provide receipts for the phones seen with Saliu’s brother.

He said, “The DPO took the iPhones, removed the warranty stickers, and declared that my brother and I are thieves and armed robbers. The next thing I heard was the DPO giving them an order to detain us and that we would be locked up for stealing and armed robbery. We were surprised that we started begging.”

Saliu disclosed that he was asked to make a N500,000 payment to secure their freedom. They agreed to N200,000, paid in cash per the officers’ order.

In a tweet confirming the incident Wednesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that the CP Lagos has ordered the immediate removal of the Meiran Police Station DPO.

Hundeyin wrote, “CP Idowu Owohunwa has ordered the immediate removal of DPO Meiran for leadership dereliction and supervisory ineptitude.

“Meanwhile, all the officers involved have been identified and are currently at the Command headquarters where their orderly room trial has commenced.”

The CPs and Deputy Commissioners of Police had appeared before the commission for promotion interviews, a condition mandatory for their promotions.

The spokesperson for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, in a statement on Thursday said the PSC approved the promotion of the CPs to AIGs alongside 19 DCPs to the substantive rank of Commissioners of Police, 21 Assistant Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Deputy Commissioners as well as 33 Chief Superintendents of Police who were elevated to the Assistant Commissioners of Police cadre.

The 12 CPs promoted to AIGs are, Ogundele Ayodeji, CP Niger State; CP Patrick Edung, CP Courses Police Academy Wudil Kano; CP Badru Lawal; Deputy Commandant, Police Academy Kano; CP Bartholomew Nnamdi Onyeka; CP Benue State; CP Suleiman Yusuf; CP Taraba State; CP Idowu Owohunwa; CP Lagos State and CP Rhoda Olofu; CP PAP Western Ports Lagos.

Others are CP Godwin Aghaulor; CMDT Police College Kaduna; CP Effiom Ekot CP Jigawa State; CP Stanley Kanayo-Chukwu Ude; CP Intelligence and Investigation, Interpol Abuja; CP Longe Patrick; CP Osun State and CP Ndu Anene, CP Admin Research and Planning Force Headquarters.

The 19 newly promoted Commissioners of Police are; DCP Shehu Abubakar; DCP Lawal Ayodeji; DCP Shelleng Yusuf; DCP Emmanuel Agene; DCP Alonyenu Iduh; DCP Vungmoh Kwaimo; DCP Danjuma Aboki; DCP Jude Azuka; DCP Dan-Sabo Idi; DCP Ibitoye Olajide and DCP Adamu Isa.

Others are DCP Usman Hayatu; DCP Christopher Emmanuel; DCP Nwanosike Okocha; DCP Johnson Adenola; DCP Olanrewaju Ishola; DCP Joseph Eribo; DCP Miller Dantawaye and DCP Henry Uche.

The newly promoted Deputy Commissioners include; Ime Udofia, Isyaku Sharu; Benjamin Abang; Mohammed Abubakar; Mohammed Ahmed; Dauda Ayuba; Moses Gana; Ikechukwu Nwosu; Promise Udeh and Okey Nwabufo.

ACP Inuwa Muhammed (Airwing) and ACP Agbo Usman were promoted to Deputy Commissioners while CSP Okunbo Onyinmeare; Victor Iwuamadi; Adenuga Salami and Isibhakhomen Ijiomah (Medical Doctors) were some of the specialists promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioners.

The new Assistant Commissioners are Jacob Egede; Godwin Oti; Chike Ibe; Daniel Akpan and Michael Mbatam amongst others.

SPs Tina Amadi; Egbede Moses; Danjuma Dantani; Benjamin Kurya; Hussaine Abdullahi; Mba Bartholomew; John Ayah; Sanusi Danlami; Asinim Butswat, Police Public Relations Officer Bayelsa state; Command; Dieke Josephine; Mohammed Musa; Idris Gumel and Ernest Abia were some of the Superintendents promoted to Chief Superintendents of Police. DSP Isah Abubakar was promoted to the next rank of Superintendent while ASP Kingsley Ani and Shehu Salisu were promoted to Deputy Superintendents amongst several others.

The Commission further approved the promotion of 265 Superintendents of Police to Chief Superintendents; 59 Deputy Superintendents to Superintendents and 4750 Assistant Superintendents and another 146 Assistant Superintendents omitted during the May 2022 promotion exercise elevated to Deputy Superintendents.

For the Specialists cadre, the Commission approved the promotion of two Assistant Commissioners of Police; one from Airwing and the other from Forensic to the next rank of Deputy Commissioners; 47 CSPs comprising 23 Medical Doctors and 24 Veterinary Doctors were promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioners of Police.

One hundred and Ninety Superintendents of Police from the Computer Info-Tech Unit; another eight from Works; one workshop; twelve transport; two forensic; two handwriting; one ballistics; one religion and one Veterinary Doctor were also promoted.

Forty-seven Specialists of Assistant Superintendents of Police rank and of different Units were promoted to Deputy Superintendents.

The PSC Chairman, Solomon Arase, charged the newly promoted Officers to embrace a new policing culture that is hinged on a people-friendly approach that respects the fundamental rights of the citizens and warned that they should desist from involving themselves in civil matters or trumping up false allegations against the public “as such conduct will not make them win the hearts and minds of the people which will deprive them of credible information from public-spirited individuals when dealing with internal security issues.

He further commended the acting Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun for collaborating with the Commission in ensuring that for the first time in a very long while, the promotions permeated all the departments of the Force.

“This singular act I hope will motivate the workforce to give back their best in ensuring that issues of crimes and criminality are properly dealt with”. He reminded them that they should remember that benefits and burdens go together adding that the good gesture of promoting them to the next rank should be a motivation that will ignite the indomitable fighting spirit which the Police have been known for throughout the years,” Ani quoted Arase in the statement.

The PSC Chairman further noted that while the Commission pushes for improved welfare for the officers, the police officers should reciprocate by conducting themselves within established laws and rules guiding the Police Force.

The police chief disclosed this on Saturday, in an interview with Channels TV

He affirmed attacks on the electorate and electoral officers recorded at some polling units in the state but disputed the attacks were widespread.

He noted that the police responded swiftly to most of the attacks as expected.

“It is true that we’ve recorded instances of violence in some areas within the state. The incidents were not as widespread as to affect the general dynamics of the process.

“Most of the instances were properly responded to by the police because we anticipated them,” he said.

When asked if the command had anticipated the violence, he said, “Yes, in some instances.

“We anticipated and then we integrated that into our general operational plan and we activated that protocol effectively in this instance. Most of those breaches, the police were able to respond promptly.”

The police chief, while responding to a video of voters said to be overpowering a young man alleged to have snatched a ballot box disclosed it as illegal.

He said the man was rescued by the police and other security agencies, adding that the suspected electoral offender was receiving medical attention.

“He’s stable; he’s not dead,” Owohunwa said

Owohunwa futher noted that a lot of arrest were made and ballot papers were recovered.

“In most of those cases of ballot box snatching, we recovered virtually all the ballot boxes,” he said.

Owohunwa said this in an interview with Arise TV ahead of the governorship and state assembly elections slated for Saturday in the state.

MC Oluomo, in a viral video, had allegedly threatened that those who would not vote for the ruling party, the APC, should stay at home.

In the video, MC Oluomo said, “Please tell them, we have begged them. If they don’t vote for us, it is not a fight. Tell them that Chukwudi’s mother, if you don’t vote for us, sit down at home. Do you understand? Sit down at home.”

However, the Lagos CP said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms any act, statement, or an action that could be interpreted as hate speech or that could be interpreted as deepening political tension regardless of the brain that might be behind it. With regards to this specific video you mentioned, it is currently a subject of a detailed investigation.”

“Of course, we are deploying our cyber security access to solve that. And, I can assure you that nobody is above the law. This country is regulated. Anybody that tries to use his position, or his influence on others to deepen hate, or engender political tension which could, of course, snowball into violence, it remains the responsibility and the mandate of the Nigeria Police to investigate such cases.

“This specific one you mentioned will not be in isolation. It is already a subject of review. And it will be in the interest of the actors behind it and all others that might wish to also engage in such ill-informed, indirect action to be very careful, to be firmly warned because in the fullness of time, the full law will take its course and it will be not different in this instance if established.”