Junior police officers in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states have accused some Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) of deliberately blocking their transfers to other formations despite having official transfer signals, alleging that the practice has left dozens of personnel stranded at their current stations for months.
The officers, who spoke anonymously over fears of intimidation, victimisation or sanctions from police authorities, alleged that the situation is particularly widespread in divisions within Calabar and Uyo, although similar complaints have also been raised in other parts of the two states.
According to the affected personnel, some DPOs have refused to release officers to report to their new formations, citing manpower shortages even after the officers had received official transfer signals from the appropriate police authorities.
The officers alleged that as many as 50 personnel may have been affected across different divisions, with some reportedly becoming so frustrated by the prolonged delays that they are threatening to resign from the Nigeria Police Force if the situation continues.
One of the officers described the situation as “getting out of hand,” questioning why junior personnel should be prevented from reporting to their new places of assignment after their transfers had already been approved.
“DPOs in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states are blocking junior officers’ transfers and the Commissioners of Police are doing nothing about it. Junior officers are treated like dogs,” the officer alleged.
“How can someone work their transfer to a certain office and the DPO or officer in charge would refuse to release them to resume work in their new office? It’s getting out of hand. Are we not public servants, and is it not our right to work wherever we desire?”
The officers alleged that the situation was particularly pronounced in Calabar and Uyo, where DPOs were said to have refused to release personnel on the grounds that there were insufficient officers available to replace them.
One of the affected officers described the practice as unfair, saying manpower shortages should not be used to indefinitely frustrate personnel whose transfers had already been approved.
“But it is just wickedness against junior officers. They should tell us the reason why they don’t let officers leave. Are we not public servants? Don’t we have the right to work anywhere?” the officer said.
The police sources further alleged that they had been informed that officers could not leave their existing divisions until replacement personnel were first posted to take over their duties.
However, one source claimed that the arrangement was not an official policy communicated by higher police authorities to the affected officers.
“That’s the new policy they’re practising and the authority isn’t aware of it,” the source alleged.
According to the officers, the problem has persisted since January 2026, while some of the transfers affected by the alleged restrictions date back to 2025.
The affected formations identified by the sources in Cross River State include divisions in Calabar, Ekori, Ogoja, Ikom and Abi.
In Akwa Ibom State, the officers identified Oron, Ikot Ekpene and Eket among the areas where similar complaints had been raised.
One of the sources said the problem was not limited to those locations but was more pronounced in Calabar and Uyo.
“Others parts too, but mostly in Calabar and Uyo, then Ekori, Ogoja, Ikom and Abi divisions in Cross River State, while in Akwa Ibom is Oron, Ikot Ekpene and Eket,” the source said.
The affected officers also claimed that complaints had already been made to the Cross River and Akwa Ibom State Police Commands but alleged that no meaningful action had been taken to resolve the matter.
The officers said they were in possession of copies of their transfer signals showing the formations to which they had been transferred.
“Yes, everybody is with a copy of their transfer signal to the place they were transferred to, but the DPOs in the divisions are refusing to release them to report to their new places,” one source alleged.
The officers further claimed that their transfer signals had not been withdrawn despite their inability to move to their new formations.
“It is not withdrawn. Officers can report at any time to their new location if the DPO releases them,” another source said.
According to the source, some DPOs were allegedly more concerned with retaining personnel within their divisions than considering the circumstances that prompted individual officers to seek transfers.
“The main thing is that their DPO doesn’t want to know what motivated the person to work his transfer,” the source alleged.
Some of the affected personnel, according to the officers, had sought transfers because of transportation difficulties, health concerns, family circumstances and other personal welfare issues.
One case cited by the sources involved an officer who allegedly sought a transfer to a nearby police station because of transportation difficulties but had remained at the original station for about six months after the transfer was approved.
“We might have pressing issues. Like one of the affected officers, the officer is having transportation issues; that was why the officer worked their transfer to a nearby police station, but the officer has not been released for six months now,” one officer said.
The sources also alleged that some affected personnel were dealing with health challenges and had sought postings closer to their homes or medical support networks.
One source said welfare considerations should be taken seriously, particularly where police personnel are dealing with illness or other health-related difficulties.
“Police don’t joke with the welfare of personnel, especially those on sick leave or having challenges with health,” the source said.
“So the personnel have to look for a nearby police station that will relieve him or her of the stress of health risk and settle down.”
The officers argued that preventing such personnel from moving after their transfers had been approved could worsen the very welfare challenges that prompted the transfer requests.
They also alleged that the prolonged delays had created considerable frustration among junior personnel, with some now threatening to resign from the Nigeria Police Force.
Although the officers put the number of affected personnel at about 50 across different divisions, the figure could not be independently verified.
The officers also recalled a previous case involving a police corporal whose transfer to another state was allegedly blocked despite an approval from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
ChroniclesReporters recalls that SaharaReporters reported on September 23, 2026, that the husband of a female police corporal serving in Ebonyi State had threatened separation from his wife after the Ebonyi State Police Command allegedly refused to release her for an inter-state transfer approved by the Inspector-General of Police.
The transfer was reportedly approved on compassionate grounds to enable the officer to join her husband in Ogun State.
According to the officers who spoke on the current matter, the publication of that case eventually led to the corporal being released.
They expressed hope that public attention to their complaints would similarly compel the police authorities to review the pending transfers in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
The officers questioned whether there was any formal requirement within the Nigeria Police Force that a replacement must arrive before an officer whose transfer has already been approved can leave a formation.
They argued that allowing individual DPOs to determine when personnel could leave their formations on the basis of manpower shortages could effectively give them the power to indefinitely frustrate approved transfers.
The affected personnel called on the police authorities to publicly clarify the alleged policy and establish whether DPOs have the authority to hold back officers who have received valid transfer signals.
They also appealed to the Commissioners of Police in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, as well as senior authorities at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters, to investigate the allegations and intervene in the matter.
The officers said they were not opposed to legitimate manpower considerations, insisting, however, that staffing concerns should not be used to indefinitely frustrate approved transfers, especially where personnel have compelling health, welfare, transportation or family reasons for seeking new postings.
They also called for the establishment of a transparent mechanism through which officers could challenge or appeal decisions by DPOs refusing to release them despite approved transfer signals.
ChroniclesReporters contacted the spokespersons for the Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State Police Commands, ASP Sunday Eitokpah Akata and DSP Timfon John, respectively, for their responses to the allegations that approved transfers were being blocked and that some officers had been prevented from reporting to their new formations.
Akata, the Cross River State Police Command spokesperson, responded by directing affected officers to approach the command’s administration department.
“Tell any of the officers who spoke based on anonymity to reach out to the command’s Admin Officer for redress with their respective signals of transfer,” he said.
DSP Timfon John, spokesperson for the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, had not responded to the request for comment at the time of filing this report.