Cynthia Ezegwu
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Hashimu Argungu, has declared that any police officer who fails the compulsory promotion examination three times will be retired from service.
Argungu made the announcement on Monday, September 29, 2025, during the conduct of promotion examinations for 30 senior police officers at the PSC corporate headquarters in Abuja.
A statement by PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, said the exercise has become a new prerequisite for career progression in the Nigeria Police Force.
Those who sat for the examination included one Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), two Commissioners of Police (CPs), eleven Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), and sixteen Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs). The test was conducted at the Solomon Arase Chairman’s Conference Hall, located on the sixth floor of the commission’s headquarters.
The PSC Chairman described the introduction of promotion examinations as a long overdue reform that would restore dignity and professionalism to the police.
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“Any officer that fails the examination three times will be retired at that level for obvious incompetence,” Argungu warned, adding that modern policing demands knowledge, skill, and continuous professional development.
He also noted that the commission has strengthened its due diligence process to prevent errors in promotions, citing past cases where deceased or retired officers were mistakenly elevated.
Other PSC commissioners present at the exercise were Justice Paul Adamu Galumje (rtd), Justice Christine Ladi Dabup (rtd), DIG Taiwo Lakanu (rtd), DIG Uba Bala Ringim (rtd), and Alhaji Abdulfatah Mohammed.