The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has directed all police commands across Nigeria to compile the nominal rolls of Inspectors eligible for promotion to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
The instruction, issued via a police wireless message from the Force Secretary’s office (ref: CB:4001/FS/FHQ/ABJ/V.T2/23) on March 13, 2026, signals the start of a departmental selection board exercise to advance senior non-commissioned officers. The message, marked “M/IMMEDIATE” and “VERY IMPORTANT,” requires all state commands and formations to submit lists of Inspectors promoted in 2019 and 2020, confirmed in 2021 and 2022, strictly based on seniority, along with their Inspectorate APER forms for 2023, 2024, and 2025.
However, the directive has sparked frustration among affected officers, some of whom have remained at the rank of Inspector for eight years. Officers promoted in 2018 argue that they should be considered for promotion alongside those promoted in 2019, citing backdating precedents from the 2025 exercise.
“They are requesting data for Inspectors promoted in 2019, while those of us promoted in 2018 are pleading with the force and PSC to backdate our promotion to 2024,” one officer said, speaking anonymously.
Commanders have been given until April 30, 2026, to submit the required data in both hard and soft copies and via a dedicated email. The signal concluded with a warning that the “INGENPOL [is] pressing” for compliance and emphasized the urgency of the exercise.
The move is aimed at ensuring transparency and structured career progression for Inspectors awaiting promotion to ASP.
