Edo police: Errant officers won’t be promoted

The Edo State Police Command has dismissed allegations that it rewards misconduct, insisting that officers facing disciplinary proceedings are ineligible for promotion until their cases are resolved.

Command spokesperson ASP Eno Ikoedem made the clarification on Thursday in response to a critic on X who accused the Nigeria Police Force of entrenching a culture of impunity.

“No officer in the Edo State Police Command is applauded for unprofessional conduct of any kind,” Ikoedem said, adding that sanctions are calibrated to the gravity of each offence and range from reduction in rank to outright dismissal and criminal prosecution.

She said several officers had recently been dismissed to serve as a deterrent, and urged members of the public to report extortion and harassment to the Command’s Complaint Response Unit in Benin City.

Ikoedem also defended the practice of stop-and-search operations, describing it as a lawful and effective crime-prevention tool that had yielded recoveries of firearms, ammunition, and stolen vehicles.

“Police officers are empowered by law to conduct searches where there is reasonable suspicion,” she said, urging citizens to cooperate with lawful searches in the interest of collective safety.

While conceding that large organisations are sometimes undermined by a few bad actors, the spokesperson maintained that such individuals do not reflect the values of the force. “The Command does not hesitate to hold them accountable whenever they are found wanting,” she added.

The clarification follows a report in April that at least five Edo Command officers had been dismissed over complaints of harassment, abduction, and extortion.