POLICE DISMISS 121 OFFICERS FOR ABSCONDING FROM DEPLOYMENT AGAINST BOKO HARAM

However, the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood on Wednesday issued a statement to deny such development, but contrary to this, the army said the police officers fled the training centre without permission, but added that many of them had been summarily caught and returned to the facility.

Penpushing update on the development on Thursday revealed that, the 121 officers of the police rank-and-file were accused of committing mutiny and desertion, prompting Inspector-General, Ibrahim Idris to order their dismissal with immediate effect.

It was also reliably gathered as at the time of filing this report that, the signal on the dismissal has gone out for several police units where the officers were attached to immediately retrieve all police equipment in their possession and remove them from payrolls.

Penpushing also reports that the December 26 signal of the dismissal further confirmed our earlier report about the large-scale desertion of the officers, eliciting renewed nationwide concerns about Nigeria’s progress in the Boko Haram war, which is now entering its tenth year.

However, the force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood was yet to respond to Penpushing enquiry on the dismissal story, as at 11.pm when this report was filed, and also it was not immediately clear whether any disciplinary measures had been taken against the remaining officers who earlier absconded and later returned.