The union noted that the strike will commence with effect from Monday, August 29, 2022.

Chairman of the Joint Service Union, PSC chapter, Mr Adoyi Adoyi, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday.

The notice is coming amidst disagreement between workers of the commission, the Chairman of the commission, Mr Musiliu Smith, and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, on which body should be responsible for recruitment, promotion, and appointment of constables and officers.

He noted that the IGP and other police chiefs in connivance with the chairman of the PSC, have overruled the constitutional duty of the PSC.

Adoyi added that the IGP has allegedly taken it upon himself to carry out the functions of the PSC in flagrant disregard of the Nigeria constitution, a verdict of the Appeal Court, and the authorities of the PSC.

Adoyi said, “We’re embarking on an indefinite strike from Monday, August 29, to show how discontent with the way the PSC is being run by the chairman of the commission, and the flagrant disregard for the constitution, the court of law, and the PSC by the IGO, Usman Baba.

The duties of the PSC are spelt out in the constitution, but the IGP has disregarded all of that, and has taken over the duties of the commission. He appoints and promotes at will as opposed to what is stated in the constitution.

“According to the constitution, the appointment, promotion, and recruitment of police officers and constables are the prerogative of the PSC, not the IGP.”

PSC Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani who made the announcement said the decision was taken at the 10th Plenary Meeting presided over by its Chairman, Mr Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police on Friday.

Among the dismissed police officers is a DSP who led a team that intercepted three Mercedes Benz trucks conveying about 300,000 live cartridges believed to have been smuggled across the border from the Benin Republic.

The statement read “A Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), was dismissed for discreditable conduct, dishonesty and acts unbecoming of a public officer. A Superintendent of Police (SP)was also dismissed for conspiring with four others to vandalise a transformer and stealing. The Commission has also directed that the officer should be prosecuted. The two other dismissed officers included a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP )and an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). The team was said to have impounded the trucks at the base for three days but made no entries nor a situation report on the arrest. The DSP rather raised a fake letter purportedly to escort the vehicles and suspects to Federal SARS Lagos with the dubious intention of ensuring their unlawful release. Luck, however, ran out of the team when it was intercepted at a military checkpoint where soldiers on duty insisted on verifying the contents of the trucks. The DSP and his team were said to have abandoned the trucks and fled.”

The commission’s Head of Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani in a statement released on Friday, October 23,  expressed shock at the level of destructions on innocent Nigerians, public facilities and businesses in the country by miscreants in the last few days.

It read “The Commission wishes to reiterate its commitment to holding Police Officers, whether of the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) or conventional, accountable for their actions and inactions and will continue to ensure instant due punishments for misconducts. The Commission only recently dismissed ten senior Police Officers including an Assistant Commissioner of Police and reduced the rank of nine others following established cases of misconduct. The Commission will process and punish all Policemen found culpable by the Presidential Panel on Reform of the defunct SARS. The Panel had concluded its assignment in 2018 but submitted its Report to the Commission on Friday, 16th October 2020. The Commission is still awaiting the white paper on the Report from the National Human Rights Commission so as to quicken its disciplinary mechanism and ensure that those to be dismissed are immediately flushed out from the system. The Commission will, however, like to condemn the unprovoked killing of Policemen and women across the country and the burning of Police stations, stressing that the action was barbaric and unfortunate. It notes that Police Officers are also Nigerians that have sacrificed their lives and comfort for the safety of the citizens and their properties and deserves nothing but commendation, support and encouragement. The Commission warns that any attempt to force the country into a state of lawlessness will be an ill wind that will blow nobody any good. We will ensure that the Police that will emerge in the nearest future will meet the expectations of Nigerians. Nigerians are therefore urged to extend to them the required cooperation and support while Government attends to the basic inadequacies facing the Institution”

The Police Service Commission is also expected to order the prosecution of 24 other ex-SARS operatives for various acts of professional misconduct. These were the highlights of the report of the Presidential Panel on Reform of SARS set up by the Federal Government in 2018 to reform the dreaded unit.

Presenting the report to the PSC Chairman, Musiliu Smith, in Abuja on Friday, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, called for speedy implementation of the panel recommendations.

A statement by the PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, said Ojukwu observed that the PSC chairman had the capacity to deal appropriately with the report of the panel.

The statement read, “Ojukwu said, at the end of the public hearing, the panel recommended 37 police officers for dismissal and 24 were recommended for prosecution”