The Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Musiliu Smith, has urged the police to reaccess their anti-crime strategies while assuring officers of improved welfare.
However, the PSC has frowned on the refusal of some police officers to return to their duty posts following the killing of more than 20 officers during the violence that broke out in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests across the country.
The PSC states that public service rules apply to members of the Nigeria Police Force.
The rules prescribe dismissal for any officer that deserted his job while urging them to put the killing of their colleagues behind them.
The PSC stressed that policemen did not deserve to be killed and should in fact be protected as fellow human beings, but it, however, noted that the attack on them by hoodlums should not be an excuse for them to stay away from work.
PSC spokesperson, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, said the attacks on the police were not good for the country “because when you make Nigeria lawless and ungovernable, there would be a situation nobody would be able to control.”
Reportedly, police officers had stayed away from hot spots with many of them absent from their duty posts following the killings.
Also, riot policemen had failed to respond to incidents of looting and vandalism of public and private property by miscreants despite the direct order of the IG of Police.
Senior officers had expressed fear for their lives, saying their security was not guaranteed hence their decision to stay away from work.
In an interview, Ani said that while the loss of police officers was painful, it should not be an excuse for them to abandon their job of protecting the nation.
He said, “The Nigeria Police Force is part of the public service and the public service is guided by the Public Service Rules. If you don’t come to work without permission, the punishment is dismissal if it is proven.
“The police as public servants are guided by the rules; so, they cannot on their own say they won’t go to work. Although, the Police Service Commission is also working to make sure they are protected because they are human beings; their lives also matter.”
The PSC spokesperson cautioned against further attacks on law enforcement agents, describing such incidents as an ill-wind that could lead to anarchy.
He added, “It would be an ill-wind that blows nobody any good but it is not a reason for anybody to say he won’t go to work. If you don’t go to work, the Public Service Rules will take its course.”
When asked if the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had formally informed the commission about the loss of his men, Ani responded that he had not been briefed on it.
