The Police Service Commission (PSC) has announced a tough new policy, warning that any police officer who fails its newly introduced promotion examinations three times will be retired from the force.

PSC Chairman, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Hashimu Argungu, disclosed this on Monday, September 29, 2025, as 30 senior officers participated in the maiden assessment at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

According to PSC spokesman Ikechukwu Ani, the examination is now a mandatory prerequisite for career advancement within the Nigerian Police Force.

Among those who sat for the test were:

One Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG)

Two Commissioners of Police (CPs)

Eleven Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs)

Sixteen Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs)

The exercise took place at the Solomon Arase Chairman’s Conference Hall.

Argungu described the move as a long-overdue reform aimed at raising professional standards and strengthening discipline.

“Any officer that fails the examination three times will be retired at that level for obvious incompetence,” he declared, stressing that modern policing requires knowledge, skill, and continuous training.

He further explained that the commission is tightening its promotion process to avoid irregularities observed in the past, including instances where deceased or retired officers were erroneously elevated.

The promotion examination was supervised by PSC commissioners, including retired Justices Paul Adamu Galumje and Christine Ladi Dabup, as well as retired DIGs Taiwo Lakanu and Uba Bala Ringim, and Alhaji Abdulfatah Mohammed.