Josephine Adeh rises to Chief Superintendent as two senior officers become Deputy Inspectors-General. But conflicting published figures raise a basic question about the transparency of the promotion exercise.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved a sweeping promotion exercise involving thousands of Nigeria Police Force officers, elevating Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police spokesperson Josephine Adeh to Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), promoting two Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to Deputy Inspectors-General (DIGs), and advancing officers across several other ranks.
The decision, approved at the Commission’s plenary meeting in Abuja on Thursday, 29 October 2026, followed promotion examinations and oral interviews conducted by the PSC.
But beyond the list of newly promoted officers lies an important question for public accountability: can the Commission reconcile the figures it has published and demonstrate how these promotions will improve policing for Nigerians?
The discrepancy is not an allegation of wrongdoing. It is a verification issue that deserves a clear answer from the institution responsible for police promotions.
PSC promotes two AIGs to DIG
The Commission, chaired by retired DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu, approved the elevation of AIG Olaolu Adegbite and AIG Dankombo F. Morris to the rank of DIG.
Adegbite heads the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian Language from the University of Lagos and a master’s degree in Philology from the Pushkin Institute in Moscow.
He is also a recipient of the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), a member of the FBI National Academy Associates and an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School. Before his current role, he served as Director of Operations at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Morris heads Zone 4 Headquarters in Makurdi. Born in Gombe State, he holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Maiduguri and a diploma in Police Science. He previously served as Commissioner of Police in Adamawa State.
Their elevation places both officers among the police leadership expected to exercise greater command responsibility and contribute to the Force’s operational effectiveness.
Ten Commissioners of Police elevated to AIG
The PSC also approved the promotion of 10 Commissioners of Police to AIG.
They are Omosanyin Olusegun, Ogbodo Ugobueze, Ohagwu Felix Ndukwe, Taylor Lennox Olanrewaju, Regina Cosmas Udoette, Afolabi Wilfred Olutokunbo, Nwogoh Martin, Shetima Jauro Mohammed, Ibrahim D. Gotan and Danjuma I. Yahaya.
Their postings include state commands, the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), the Nigeria Police Cooperative and the Police Airwing.
Seventeen Deputy Commissioners of Police were also elevated to Commissioner of Police. Among those listed are Nache Bashir Liman, Sirajo Lawal Salihu, Ayeleye Adegboyega E., Isiaka O. Salau and Usman Shaik Adamu.
The promotions span criminal investigation, anti-fraud operations, administration, intelligence and state-level policing. These are important functions in a country where the effectiveness of investigations, intelligence gathering and police command decisions can directly affect public safety.
Josephine Adeh among officers promoted
Adeh, the FCT Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, was promoted from Superintendent of Police (SP) to CSP.
Her elevation is among the most visible developments in the exercise because police spokespersons are often the public face of security commands during emergencies, arrests, investigations and other major incidents.
The promotion does not, by itself, establish any change in her posting or responsibilities. It formally advances her rank.
Other officers promoted from SP to CSP include Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command; Abah James of the Rivers State Police Command; Okere Romanus, Divisional Police Officer of Isiowulu Division in Anambra State; and Ugochukwu Ozoude Alex of the Monitoring Unit, Zone 9, Umuahia.
The Commission also approved 85 promotions from Assistant Commissioner of Police to Deputy Commissioner, 49 from Chief Superintendent to Assistant Commissioner, and 498 from Deputy Superintendent to Superintendent.
Among those promoted to Deputy Commissioner is Dr Ruth Oyinmearelu Okunbo, medical director of the MD Abubakar Police Hospital in Deidei and the ASR Police Reference Hospital in Utako, Abuja.
The largest category comprises 3,218 officers promoted from Assistant Superintendent of Police to Deputy Superintendent. Those listed include Frank Okafor, formerly Chief Security Officer at Jaiz Bank and Intelligence Coordinator at Government House, Uyo, and Samson Sule, Chief Security Officer to the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.
These promotions follow the process described by the PSC as successful performance in examinations and oral interviews.
The numbers that require clarification
The published figures present a material inconsistency.
The rank-by-rank breakdown supplied for the exercise lists:
Promotion category
Number
AIG to DIG
2
CP to AIG
10
DCP to CP
17
ACP to DCP
85
CSP to ACP
49
SP to CSP
245
DSP to SP
498
ASP to DSP
3,218
Total from listed categories
4,124
The arithmetic total is 4,124 when each category is counted once.
Yet, Punch Newspapers published a headline describing the exercise as promotions for two DIGs, 10 AIGs and 3,867 others. Galaxy Television reported a total of 3,897 officers. These figures do not reconcile with the complete rank-by-rank breakdown presented above.
The distinction matters. A figure used in a headline can be rounded or presented on a different counting basis, but a public institution should be able to provide one unambiguous total alongside a breakdown that adds up.
The available reports do not explain the difference. It would therefore be premature to declare any single total definitive without a reconciled official schedule.
The PSC should publish or confirm the final number of officers promoted, broken down by rank, and explain any exclusions or adjustments. Such clarification would remove avoidable confusion and strengthen confidence in the process.
There is also an established administrative route for such verification. The PSC’s own Police Promotion Department says it participates in promotion examinations and interviews, maintains promotion examination records, processes promotion gazettes and handles petitions concerning overdue promotions and improper placement.
Those records are relevant not only to the total announced but also to the integrity and traceability of the process.
Promotion must produce better policing
Congratulating the newly promoted officers, Argungu urged them to treat their elevation as motivation to improve their performance and commitment to duty.
He stressed their responsibilities for protecting lives and property, maintaining law and order, and enforcing the law. He also emphasised the need for professionalism, dedication and improved service delivery.
The message places the focus where it belongs: promotion is not simply a reward for passing an examination or completing an interview. It is an advancement that brings greater responsibility.
For police officers working in intelligence, criminal investigation, anti-fraud operations and state commands, that responsibility must be reflected in the quality of their work and the public’s experience of policing.
The test will be whether investigations become more effective, complaints are handled more professionally, officers are held accountable for misconduct and communities receive a dependable response when they need help.
Those outcomes cannot be assumed from a change in rank alone. They require clear standards, supervision, appropriate resources and a willingness to measure performance.
The PSC has taken a significant personnel decision. Its next public-interest obligation is to ensure that the figures are clear and the standards behind the promotions are transparent.
For Nigerians, the most important measure of the exercise will not be how many officers received new ranks. It will be whether the promotions help deliver safer communities, more professional policing and greater public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.
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