Joy Anyim
Mixed reactions have continued to trail the recent transfer of 1,100 Police Officers from the Lagos State Police Command, to other states in the country.
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While some affected officers have described the transfer as ‘cruel’, others said it was one of the risks that comes with the job.
According to the affected officers, who ranks from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), to Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), transferring officers without any welfare package or allowance is inhuman.
It had been gathered that acting Inspector General of Police ( IGP), Mohammed Adamu had directed that officers who had served in Lagos for four years and above, be moved to other states.
The move by the police boss, it was learnt, was to reorganise the command for efficiency, and also give room for officers to learn more.
Although the written signal on the transfer was yet to reach the Lagos State Police in Ikeja, sources said that the news of the signal had already filtered to officers in the command.
A police officer serving at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence (SCIID) Department, Panti, Yaba, in Lagos, revealed that about 75 percent of the officers at the police formation were affected.
According to the officer whose name cannot be mentioned for obvious reasons, even married female officers were affected by the transfer.
Lamneting the timing and manner of the transfer, the Deputy Suprintendent of Police (DSP) said, “ I dont have a problem with transfers because it is part of the job. But how can the police high command decide to just transfer people like that without any allowance to help them start a new life where they are going to?
“ Some of my collegues were posted to Yobe, Adamawa and other far northern states. The journey to these states are far and the cost of transportation to get there is also high.
“ I am lucky I was transferred to Kwara state, but i feel so bad for my other collegues who are going to the north. Some married female officers were even sent to the north and far east.”
While faulting the Police hierachy, the officer said, “ This is just another plot to extort money from junior officers by the very senior officers. In 2016, when we had massive transfer of officers from Lagos to other states, some officers were involved in accident while travelling by road to come and visit their family.
“ Some are yet to recover from it. Those who even wanted to return to Lagos, ended up paying through their nose to these senior police officers, to aid their transfer back to Lagos. People paid as high as N300, 000 then, for transfer back to Lagos.”
A female Assistant Superintendent of Police, expressed dissatisfaction with the transfer.
“ This is not fair, sending a married woman to the north, not considering her family. If i were single, i wont be complaining, but i am married with four children. My last child is just four, which will take care of her when I go to my new location? She asked.
Another DSP who was transferred to Akwa -Ibom state said he is at peace with the transfer.
He said, “ I thank God I was not transferred to the north. Akwa-Ibom state is peaceful, so i dont have any reason to complain.”
An officer who was affected by the 2016 transfer where over 800 officers from the Lagos State Police Command were transferred to other states said, this is the biggest transfer the Lagos State Police Command had even seen.
The officer who was not affected by the recent transfer said the decision by the IGP to move officers from Lagos and send in new set of officers, may not be unconnected with the recent killings by policemen in the state.
He said, “ Maybe the IGP feels some of the officers in Lagos are not supervising their subordinates properly, hence the need to change them .
“ But it is only a matter of three months before these set of officers will begin to make moves ro return back to Lagos.
“ In 2016, when a similar transfer was done, many of us spent huge amounts to come back to Lagos. While some were even defrauded by colleagues who claimed to be close to very senior officer who can effect their transfer back to Lagos.”
Information also has it that senior officers at The Force Headquarters who had also spent four years and above at the Headquarters will also be transferred.
It was also learnt that Personnel within the rank of Corporal to Inspector may also be hit by similar massive transfer soonest.
