The workers union of the Police Service Commission (PSC) has called for the removal of Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun following what they referred to as deliberate misrepresentation and falsehood about the recently concluded recruitment exercise.
Last Saturday, the police, in a statement, alleged that the process was marred by corruption and other irregularities, thereby rejecting the recruitment, an allegation denied by the Joint Union Congress of the PSC.
In a chat with newsmen on Wednesday, the Chairman, Joint Union Congress of the Police Service Commission, Adoyi Augustine Adoyi, stated that the action of the IG was against his profession.
His words: “We begin this press conference with a clarion call on the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, to immediately relieve the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, of his appointment as IGP.
“Our concern comes from the fact that a public officer who misleads the president is causing confusion in the country and may lead to chaos, which is antithetical to his duty as a police officer.
“His attitude has become only a replica of the biblical Haman, who, in deceiving his principal, wanted to wipe out an entire nation but for the timely intervention of God. So we call on the president to responsibly relieve him of his duties for the following reasons:
While emphasising that some elements within the police force attempted to smuggle over 1,000 names into the recruitment list, Adoyi said, “We have been furnished with reliable information indicating that elements within the police force attempted to smuggle over 1,000 names into the recruitment list.
“This manipulation was a grave breach of the recruitment process and a calculated attempt to undermine the credibility of the entire exercise.”
Describing the allegations levelled by the IG against the commission as false, unfounded, and spurious, Adoyi said, “The allegations of fraud and several unwholesome acts levelled against the Police Service Commission and its staff are, to say the least, unfounded, spurious, speculative, and most irresponsible, especially by the way the allegations were thrown into the public space even before the official channel of communication for dealing with such a matter was explored.”
The Joint Staff Union refuted claims made by Force headquarters that the recently ended hiring process for 10,000 police constables was plagued by irregularities and corruption.
Instead, the union said that the Police Service Commission had turned down Force headquarters’ attempt to impose their own list on the hiring board.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
