A senior Nigerian police officer who reportedly resigned after he was denied promotion thrice has said that he is still in the service and that he only “contemplated” resigning.
The officer, Francis Erhabor, a chief superintendent of police, headed a division of the police in Akwa Ibom State, South-south of Nigeria.
An online publication, Igbere TV, which broke the news of the officer’s resignation, Saturday, quoted him as saying, “I have wasted 30 years serving my fatherland.”
He said he has witnessed several of his juniors get promoted above him and that “it hurts deeply”.
The officer, in the report, apologised to his fans, apparently over his decision to resign.
“I once had a dream about the Nigeria Police Force becoming the people’s force, the country’s pride.
“So sad, I no longer believe in the system as a noble one, but one were mediocrity, nepotism, and all other ignoble acts are given higher preference.
“I am sorry I let all my fans down. I am deeply sorry for not finishing where you all expected me to finish. Thanks for your strong and relentless faith in me. I remain forever grateful to you all,” he said.
When reporters contacted Mr Erhabor, Saturday night, he said the resignation story was not true.
“I am still in the service, I only contemplated it last week to resign. But I am much better now,” he said.
He said what he had with Igbere TV was not an interview, but a “discussion with a friend” concerning his (Erhabor) thought pattern.
“I feel so irritated by the injustice in the system, I switched off (my phone) after sharing my thoughts with him. I never knew he was trying to reach me to get permission from me before he could publish it.”
The officer said he has been in a depressed mood which made him switch off his phone since Friday. He said when he switched on the phone line on Saturday night he realised his resignation plan had gone viral.
He said he felt relief on Saturday morning after listening to a devotional message from a Nigerian pastor, Enoch Adeboye, of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
“I think I have accepted my fate,” the officer said when PREMIUM TIMES told him that his “discussion” could put him into trouble with the police authorities.
“I am in thank-you mode. I have accepted my fate. For posterity, I think it was also not a bad idea that they knew how I felt.
“Hopefully, we pray the system could correct itself. I know the system might come against me. I meant no harm.”
Igbere TV reporter, Isioma Ogochukwu, who said he took part in producing the story, told PREMIUM TIMES the publication stood by its report.
“Our own understanding was that the discussion was for publication,” he said.
A senior police officer in Akwa Ibom State, who heads a police division in the state just like Mr Erhabor, said Mr Erhabor did resign and that “he has been under intense pressure from the police authorities to reconsider his action”.
Mr Erhabor himself appeared to have given credence to the assertion when he told PREMIUM TIMES, “calls have been coming in, the ones that encourage me the most are from my superiors who told me not to take that decision further.”
The police in Akwa Ibom State had earlier dismissed the resignation story as false.
“The Commissioner of Police, Amienghene Andrew, is not in receipt of any letter of resignation from the Senior Officer and has not in any way communicated same to the Force Headquarters,” the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom State, Odiko MacDon, said in a statement, Saturday.
“For the avoidance of doubt, appointments and resignations of the NPF are not done on social media,” Mr MacDon, a superintendent of police, added.
