The Police Service Commission has said that it cannot force men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force to return to their duty posts.
Many of the policemen have abandoned their posts following attacks on them by hoodlums who hijacked the ENDSARS protests.
Many police officers were killed just as many police stations were burnt across the country.
The situation has led many parts of the country exposed as people now live and sleep with little or no protection.
But reacting to a report which quoted it as saying it would punish policemen that fail to return to work, the commission said in a statement on Sunday that it was not contemplating such at all.
The statement signed by its information officer, Ikechukwu Ani, noted:
“The attention of the Police Service Commission had been drawn to a publication in the Punch newspaper of Saturday October 31 2020 reporting that the Police Service Commission will dismiss Police officers who fail to return to work.
“The Police Service Commission wishes to state that it did not any time say Police men who refused to get back to work will be dismissed.
“The Commission had condemned the killing of Police officers on legitimate duties and had warned that any attempt to make the country lawless will be an illwind that will blow no body any good.
“The Commission can only plead with the officers to in the spirit of nationalism return to work while Government works out enough protective programs for them.
“The Commission will continue to do its best to ensure the police are motivated to do its job.
“The Commission being the employers of the Police is pained that Police men were killed and stations set ablaze throughout the country.
“It will be very insensitive at this point for anyone to say that the Commission will dismiss any police man who didn’t return to work. The Commission is even at present mourning the deaths of it’s gallant officers who were killed in the crisis.”
