There seems to be no end in sight of the controversy between the Senator Senator representing Bauchi Central, Isa Hamma Misau and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.
Misau, who made an appearance before the Senate committee responsible for investigating the allegations against the IGP, told the panelists that the police chief employed four civilians in his office and gave them the privilege of receiving the salary of the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG).
He disclosed that the police boss employed the services of a police officer who’s retired to handle investigations, thereby antagonising the code and Act establishing the Police Force, stating that all investigative cases were meant to be on the table of the Deputy Inspector- General of Police, DIG in Area 10, Garki, Abuja and not any retired officer.
The 8-member ad-hoc committee has Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena, representing Edo North leading the team as chairman of the committee.
Misau claimed that the expected date of retirement of the IGP was dubiously tweaked on the staff list of Senior Police Officers from 3rd January to 15th January 2019, against the statutes of the Police Force.
Misau said: “Sometime in July 2017, I was in the office of Senator Baba Kaka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business when a Daily Trust reporter sought my views on the information that policemen pay as much as N500,000 for Special Promotion.
“To verify this information, I called some serving police officers who confirmed to the three of us that the information was not only true, but that the amounts paid are up to N2,500,000, in addition to other information.
“I hereby forward for your consideration, the detailed terms of allegation against the Police the Inspector General of Police, IGP and the Police Service Commission: Deployment of Policemen to Private Organisation: Between 50,000 to 100,000 policemen are routinely deployed by the Police to oil companies, oil servicing companies, banks, oil marketers, and private individuals etc, with regular payments made to the police.. While these monies are estimated to run intobillions monthly, they are however, unaccounted for.
“Today, the situation is so bad that businessmen with dubious characters and suspicious businesses now go about with full detachment of policemen and some with full convoy and blasting siren, especially in Lagos, Port Harcourt and other major cities in the country, thereby worsening the country’s policing ratio of 1 policeman to about 800 citizens as against the UN recommended ratio of 1 policeman to 400 citizens.
“Special Promotion Racketeering by the IGP and the Police Service Commission: The Police Service Commission whose main function is to recruit, train, discipline, promote and retire members of the Force, appear to have left its core mandate to indulge almost exclusively in promotion racketeering. When the IGP was appointed, 23 AIGs and above were compulsorily retired to enable him discharge his duty, showing clearly that special promotion is injustice, because it is an attempt to put junior officers above their seniors.
“Favouritism in Promotion/ Appointment of Police Commissioners: There is a lot of favouritism in the promotion/ appointment of Commissioners of Police. Junior Deputy Commissioners of Police are given Commissioner of police on acting capacity as against seniority and merit thereby blocking eligible candidates. A recent example is the present CP Lagos who is a junior DCP to two other DCPs, was now given acting CP and posted to Lagos. These acts of favouritism have eroded discipline in the Force which is the backbone of any successful organisation.
“Postings/Transfers: Transfers of Commissioners of police, State Mopol Commanders and Special Protection Unit Commanders are riddled in corruption. While there are Chief Superintendent of Police, CSPs with over 10 years’ experience. Out of 41 Mopol commanders, about 19 Mopol commanders are junior Superintendents of Police, (SP).
“It is so bad that instead of the Commissioners of Police in charge of units, like the Police Mobile Force, Special Protection Unit, the postings and transfers are effected in the office of the IGP because of special interest;
“It is alleged that a woman Assistant Commissioner of Police who is in charge of posting and transfer at the Force Headquarters, Abuja and is known to be close to the IGP, collects money for general postings and transfers, and this is verifiable through the ACP’s account details and those of her immediate subordinate officers and men as the money collected are usually through bank transfers
“The IGP posted a Commissioner of police who for the past 17 years has not worked/ served in a police formation to take charge of a state. This officer who was a former Police ADC to the late former Governor Alamiesiegha, and also served under former President Jonathan, is now the commissioner of Police, Adamawa state. Foisting such officer without operational experience has been a major setback to the current administration’s fight against criminality, especially the Boko Haram insurgency. This officer enjoyed special promotions three times to become a Commissioner of police while his mates are currently Chief Superintendents of Police (CSPs). Such level of operational inexperience is not only a risk to the officer himself, but also to his command and the state at large.
“Illegal Diversion of Fund By the IGP: The IGP is alleged to have diverted the funds provided under the 2016 Appropriations Act for the acquisition of Armoured Personnel Carriers, (APC) to purchase of luxury cars without virement. And that he essentially runs the police like a personal property by applying police resources and valuable assets to personal use by his children and close associates.
“Use of Special Units to Undermine Legitimate Police Departments: The IGP introduced a curious system where so many investigation units report directly to him. In addition to the above mentioned Units, others include IGP Response Team, IGP Monitoring Unit, and Special Investigation Panel, (SIP) which is inappropriately headed by a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police in contravention of Public Service Rules. It should be noted however that according to the police standard operation, all investigation and intelligence units are legally under the Force Criminal Investigation Department. The current situation has not only rendered the Deputy Inspector General’s office moribund, but also made the office, redundant.
“The Inspector General of Police is also in the habit of regularly withdrawing cases from the DIG Investigations / Intelligence and reassigned to junior officers loyal to him, thereby effectively undermining the Deputy Inspector General.
“Poor Attention to Personnel Welfare: Attention is not paid to welfare and logistics need of officers and men, thereby causing low morale. The conditions in the Police Academy, Police barracks and Police Colleges are not only inhospitable but are also inhabitable. About four months ago, about 3000 policemen were deployed from 30 states to Maiduguri, Borno state for special duties, without logistics. To avoid paying the necessary allowances, signals were issued to convert the deployment to permanent transfer after three months special duty.”
These new allegations are fresh and further confirms IGP Idris’ may have many more canker-worms still unraveled as TheGazetter exclusively revealed the many acts of ignominy committed by his office.
Nigerians are patiently awaiting the results of the investigations of the Senate’s Ad-hoc committee with expectations that the federal government will act in concordance with its anti-corruption claims to get rid of bad eggs that may be willing to make a mess of the FG’s efforts.
