Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, have been promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
Angel Network News (ANN) recall that Prof. Chuma-Udeh, adorned in police uniform, was on Monday warmly saluted and congratulated by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, amid cheers from other principal officers of the Anambra State Government, during the
first State Executive Council meeting of 2026 held at the Light House, Awka, following her promotion to the rank of ACP.
It was gathered that Prof. Chuma-Udeh is a Supernumerary Police (SPY) officer, a special category of police personnel distinct from regular officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
Further findings reveal that Supernumerary Police Officers are private individuals sponsored, trained and appointed by the Nigeria Police Force to perform specific security-related and auxiliary roles, often in support of
institutions, organizations or public interest duties.
While SPY officers undergo formal police training and are vested with certain policing powers, they do not form part of the conventional police workforce and are not counted within the regular police establishment.
It was also learnt that supernumerary police officers wear a distinct ash-coloured uniform bearing “SPY” inscriptions, and are typically unarmed, as well as operate under defined limitations.
Their ranks, though recognized by the Nigeria Police Force, are largely honorary and functional, and do not follow the same career progression structure as those of regular police officers.
Prof. Chuma-Udeh’s promotion to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police falls within this supernumerary framework and does not in any way make her a career police officer, nor does it affect her role as the Commissioner for Education in Anambra State.
It was also gathered that such promotions are usually based on years of service, performance, training, discipline and contributions within the supernumerary police system, and are not uncommon among distinguished professionals drawn from academia, corporate institutions and public service.
