The Police Service Commission (PSC) has promoted seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to the rank of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs), in a move aimed at reinforcing the leadership architecture of the Nigeria Police Force.
The promotions, announced Thursday, followed a rigorous selection process anchored on merit, seniority, service record and performance in both written examinations and oral interviews conducted at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the Head of Protocol and Public Affairs of the Commission, Mr. Torty Njoku Kalu, the exercise forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the command structure of the police and enhance operational efficiency at the highest levels of the Force.
Those elevated to the prestigious rank include Zachariah Fera Achinyan, formerly AIG in charge of Zone 4, Makurdi; Zango Ibrahim Baba, who previously headed the Department of Logistics and Supply; and Isyaku Mohammed, erstwhile AIG in charge of Armament at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Also promoted are Margaret Agebe Ochalla, formerly overseeing the FCID Annex in Lagos; Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman, who served as AIG Police Accounts and Budget at the Force Headquarters; Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, former AIG Zone 15, Maiduguri; and Umar Shehu Nadada, who until his elevation supervised Zone 14 in Katsina.
The latest round of promotions comes on the heels of the recent elevation of DIG Fayoade Adegoke to the substantive rank of Deputy Inspector-General, positioning him as a member of the Force Management Team.
Commission sources indicated that the promotions were necessitated by the retirement of eight Deputy Inspectors-General who previously occupied key strategic offices within the police hierarchy.
Chairman of the PSC, DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (Rtd), while congratulating the newly decorated officers, urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by demonstrating exceptional professionalism and unwavering commitment to national security.
Argungu further admonished the officers to foster a productive relationship with the Commission and other critical stakeholders, stressing that synergy and discipline remain vital to the continued transformation of the Nigeria Police Force.
He noted that the Commission remains committed to merit-driven career progression within the Force as part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening institutional capacity and public confidence in policing.
Among members of the PSC Board who participated in the promotion exercise as examiners were Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, JSC (rtd), Dr. Taiwo Lakanu, a retired DIG and Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters, as well as the Secretary to the Commission, Chief Onyemuche Nnamani.