FG grants automatic promotion to kidnapped civil servants

The Federal Government has approved automatic promotion for six civil servants who were abducted while travelling to sit for their promotion examinations in 2025.

The affected officers, drawn from the Ministry of Defence, were reportedly kidnapped in Kogi State while journeying from Lagos to Abuja for the exercise.

Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Tunji Olaopa, announced the decision on Saturday in Abuja, describing the incident as unfortunate and the government’s action as a compassionate response to the trauma endured by the victims.

According to Olaopa, the commission, in collaboration with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and other stakeholders, approved the promotion of the affected officers to their next grade level as education officers.

“The commission, in giving due consideration to the trauma that the victims of the kidnapping went through, hereby, on compassionate grounds grants automatic promotion to the six candidates,” he said.

He noted that the decision also reflects the commission’s concern for the emotional and psychological impact of the incident on the officers, while commiserating with them on behalf of the federal civil service.

Olaopa further revealed that the officers played a key role in piloting the transition from the traditional pen-and-paper examination format to computer-based testing (CBT), which he said recorded near 100 per cent success. He described them as “guinea pigs” in the reform process that is expected to modernise promotion examinations.

He explained that the adoption of CBT has improved transparency, reduced costs, and enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of results processing.

The commission, he added, is working towards decentralising promotion examinations to enable civil servants take tests closer to their duty stations, thereby reducing the risks associated with long-distance travel.

Olaopa also highlighted broader systemic challenges within the civil service, including declining professional capacity, workforce planning gaps, and the effects of prolonged recruitment embargoes.

He said ongoing reforms, including human resource audits and improved performance evaluation systems, are aimed at addressing these challenges and strengthening institutional effectiveness.

The FCSC chairman urged newly promoted officers and other senior civil servants to embrace professionalism and support ongoing reforms, stressing the importance of renewed commitment to public service and national development.