By Sam ADEGBE, Abuja
- Retirees Go For The Broke, Unleash Anger on Buratai/Idris PSC Withholds Severance Letters Of Retired DIGs/AIGs
- As Accelerated Promotions Excite New DIGs, AIGs
Recent developments in the Armed Forces, particularly the Nigerian Army are pointers to the fact that certain individuals are poised at extracting their pounds of flesh from Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, whom they perceived as being the brain behind the recent retirement of officers. Buratai who has been in the eyes of the storm over some properties he acquired long before he assumed office may as well be a victim of vendetta by aggrieved officers who were affected by the recent massive purges of over 50 Officers. Our correspondent reports that, some of the officers have been overheard saying they will expose the Chief of Army Staff for turning a blind eye to their plights, even when he knew that some of them were not as guilty as being portrayed. This is even as there are indications that all is not well between the Police Service Commission, PSC and the Presidency over the mass retirement of the top echelon of the Nigerian Police Force, which may have swept out some of the tested hands on the job. Described as unprecedented in the history of the force, the Police Service Commission which duty it is to carry out such exercises may have withheld retirement letters of the affected Deputy Inspectors General and Assistant Inspectors General in protest. nationalTRAIL learnt that the PSC was not consulted before the mass retirement; rather the Presidency took the decision unilaterally based on the recommendations by the Acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who felt he could not work with the affected officers. One of the affected officers told our correspondent that as at last week, the PSC was still holding on to the letters of retirement against the background of a possible review of the exercise to exempt certain categories of the retirees. According to our source, the PSC was merely putting on an act by pouring encomiums on the President and the New IG, but have reservations about the exercise and had communicated their opinion on the matter to the appropriate authorities. Our correspondent gathered that, while the massive purge in both the Army and the Police may have paved way for the ascension of other low ranking officers, who got accelerated promotions, the generality of those unceremoniously disengaged may have opened a sort of enmity with their bosses at the top. Highly placed retired Police and Army Officers have faulted the manner the officers were disengaged, and cautioned the Presidency against taking such drastic decisions in any of the security agencies in the future to avoid weeding out quality hands from service. Our correspondent reports that, recent posts which have generated controversies about the Chief of Army staff in particular may not be unconnected with outpouring of anger amongst officers retired unceremoniously from the army, even as sources hinted of possible similar moves against the new IGP. It may be recalled that the new Acting inspector General of Police was reported to have told the President that he could not work with all 28 senior officers recently retired, a statement which most of them did not take lightly.
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