Demotion: Police Corporal Petitions Rivers CP, IGP

A police  officer attached to Mopol 19, Port Harcourt, Mr. Sunday Sodeko, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase and the new Rivers State Police Commissioner over his unlawful demotion.
Mr. Sodeko was demoted from the rank of  Corporal to Constable following his alleged abscondment from his duty post during an insurgency operation against Boko Haram in Yobe State.
Speaking to The  Tide in Pot Harcourt, Mr. Sodeko, who hails from Kogi State said that he did not abscond from duty but travelled  on the instruction of his Unit Commander, Mr. Modu. A. Abdulsalum to Ondo  State for medical treatment as a result of injury sustained during the gun battle with Boko Haram in Damaturu last year.
According to him, Mr Modu A. Abdulsalam with Force No. 86 who is the Unit commander had instructed him to seek for medical treatment which he duly complied with by travelling to Ondo State for the treatment.
The aggrieved police officer further alleged that on returning to Yobe State, he was summoned for an orderly  trial and later demoted from the rank of Corporal to Constable.
He also alleged that, the  fifty thousand  naira monthly allowances which he received while in Yobe was given to Modu Abdulsalam who promised to cover him, but regretted that three days after returning to Port Harcourt, he received a signal from Yobe State, that he has been demoted to a constable.
According to him, the demotion has cost him the chances of gaining promotion to the rank of a Sergeant and prayed  for the intervention of the Inspector General of Police and the state Police Commissioner.
Mr. Sodeko, however, said that the force head-quarters has asked him to appeal the demotion and described the situation as a witchunting exercise.
When contacted on phone, Mr. Modu Abubakar Abdulsalam, denied that the demotion was to witchhunt  Sodeko, stressing that he left everyone in camp without permission.
Mr. Abdulsalam also said that no medical report was received from the demoted police officer and also denied taking fifty thousand naira bribe from him.
He urged the public to discountenance the allegation.