A lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State, Dr. Goddy Igbaekemen, has accused the institution of refusing to promote and pay his necessary arrears since his reinstatement.
Igbaekemen was reinstated in 2016 after a committee by the National Assembly exonerated him of allegations leveled against him by the academy.
In a letter written by his lawyer, Thomas Shachia, and addressed to the commission, the counsel said Igbaekemen was entitled to all his promotions from the date he was “wrongfully” sacked to date.
The letter partly read, ” In 2016, our client was unlawfully disengaged from the service of the Nigeria Police Academy but following the Resolution/Report of the National Assembly Committee on Public Petitions, our client was eventually re-instated with effect from 2016 when his employment was unlawfully terminated.
“Our client is entitled to all his promotions from the date of the wrongful termination of his employment till date. For the avoidance of doubt, our client is eminently qualified to be promoted and conferred with the rank
of a Professor.
”However, the Nigeria Police Academy has failed to promote our client and pay the necessary arrears to our client to date. Our client has both personally and through us, written several letters demanding amongst other things that he be promoted to his rightful rank and placement but all to no avail.”
Shachia alleged that Igbaekemen’s promotion letter was mutilated to deny him a promotion approved by the academy in 2015.
He said, “Meanwhile, it has come to the knowledge of our client that the approval for our client’s promotion was duly carried out sometime in 2015.
“However, the letter on which this approval was minuted was mutilated, removed from our client’s records, and concealed by individuals who are bent on frustrating our client’s efforts.
“It was until our client wrote a letter dated May 2, 2023, and after severe effort that our client was finally able to see the mutilated letter.”
He called on the commission to order the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, to investigate those who mutilated and concealed his client’s promotion letter.
Shachia asked the PSC to give the commandant and management of the Nigeria Police Academy an ultimatum of seven days to release his client’s promotion letters and pay all his entitlements.
The academy spokesperson, Martins Yakubu, could not be reached for comment. His phone number indicated it was switched off. He has yet to respond to a text message sent to him on the matter.
