President Muhammadu Buhari, flanked by CSP Francis Osage Erhabor (right) and other recipients of Public Service Integrity Award on September 28, 2020.
By Abasifreke Effiong
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has refuted report that CSP Francis Osage Erhabor, the DPO of Itam ‘D’ division has resigned from the Nigeria Police Force.
A report on the purported resignation of CSP Erhabor trended on social media on Saturday 2nd January.
The report claimed that CSP Francis Erhabor has been denied promotion three times because he failed to bribe top police hierarchy.
‘I have witnessed my juniors get promoted over me over and over again, and it hurts deeply. I filed a complaint, asked for ratification of my promotion date, and was even investigated, with the outcome verified in my favour, yet nothing has been done to remedy the situation’, the report quoted CSP Erhabor to have said.
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Police Public Relations Officer Akwa Ibom State Command, SP Odiko MacDon, said the Commissioner of Police was not in receipt of any letter from CSP Erhabor.
“The attention of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command has been drawn to a write up making the rounds, that the Divisional Police Officer ( DPO ), of ‘D’ Division, Itam, CSP Francis Osage Erhabor has resigned from the Nigeria Police Force on the grounds of lack of promotion.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, appointments and resignations of the NPF are not done on social media.”
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Amienghene Andrew is not in receipt of any letter of resignation from the Senior Officer and has not in anyway communicated same to the Force Headquarters.”
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“Let it be known, that the publication making the rounds is a figment of the imagination of the writer.”
“Hence, members of the public are to totally disregard the said publication as the Senior Officer is still a bonafide member of the NPF and still the DPO of Itam Divisional Police headquarters”, MacDon said in a press release on Saturday.
However, sources in the police have claimed that a thousand and one police officers have filed for resignation of their appointments over lack of promotion, victimization by superior officers and loss of interest in the police force.
The image of the Nigeria Police Force has constantly been sullied over cases of bribery and corruption, human rights violations, poor work attitude and ethics by police officers.
In October 2020, there was a staggered nationwide protest over extra-judicial killings of Nigeria, torture, theft by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, of the Nigeria Police Force. About 22 police officers were killed and more than 100 others were injured in the #EndSARS protest.
However, in December 2020, The Dune reported that the Police Service Commission, PSC, had approved promotion of over 1500 police officers including officers who were casualties of the #EndSARS protest.
CSP Francis Osage Erhabor was appointed into the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Inspector on the 2nd of April 1990 at the age of 17 plus.
He is widely celebrated as the Nigeria Police officer that has never received bribe.
Erhabor was one of the five ‘icons’ awarded at the Integrity Icon Award Summit in Abuja early last year by Accountability Lab in partnership with Luminate, MacArthur and Ford Foundation.
In September 2020, CSP Erhabor won the 2020 Public Service Integrity Award and was decorated with a medal by Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari.
