By Prisca Iffy
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has promoted seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to the rank of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) as part of efforts to strengthen the leadership structure of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to the PSC’s Head of Protocol and Public Affairs, Torty Njoku Kalu, the promotions were based on merit, seniority, service records, and performance in both written and oral examinations conducted at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The newly promoted DIGs include:
- Zachariah Fera Achinyan (formerly AIG Zone 4, Makurdi)
- Zango Ibrahim Baba (formerly AIG, Department of Logistics and Supply)
- Isyaku Mohammed (formerly AIG Armament, Force Headquarters, Abuja)
- Margaret Agebe Ochalla (formerly AIG FCID Annex, Lagos)
- Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman (formerly AIG Police Accounts and Budget, Force Headquarters, Abuja)
- Kenechukwu Onwuemelie (formerly AIG Zone 15, Maiduguri)
- Umar Shehu Nadada (formerly AIG Zone 14, Katsina)
The promotion exercise followed the recent elevation of Fayoade Adegoke to the substantive rank of DIG, placing him in the Force Management Team.
Kalu explained that the new appointments were necessary to fill vacancies created by the retirement of eight DIGs who previously occupied key strategic positions.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the PSC, Hashimu Salihu Argungu (Rtd), congratulated the newly promoted officers and urged them to justify the confidence placed in them by prioritising national security and maintaining a productive relationship with the Commission.
In a related development, former police spokesperson and Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Frank Mba, has retired from the Nigeria Police Force after 34 years of service.
Mba retired alongside other DIGs following the exit of former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and the confirmation of Olatunji Disu as the new Inspector-General of Police.
Before his retirement, Mba served in the Department of Training and Development. He joined the police in May 1992 as a cadet officer and graduated as the best cadet in academics at the Nigeria Police Academy.
During his career, he served as Commissioner of Police in Ogun State and also headed the Border Patrol Force at the Force Headquarters. He held several operational commands, including Area Commander in Ajah and Festac in Lagos.
Mba also represented Nigeria internationally, including participation in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia between 2006 and 2007.
Academically, he holds a Law degree from the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002 after attending the Nigerian Law School, Abuja. He later earned a Master’s degree in Law with distinction from the University of Dundee in Scotland.
He also attended several prestigious global programmes, including the FBI National Academy in Quantico, as well as leadership courses at Harvard University and the University of Oxford.
In his farewell message, Mba expressed gratitude to Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the opportunity to serve under his administration.
