The lawmaker representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, Isa Misau, on Wednesday opened another can of worms when he accused the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, of donating two Sports Utility Vehicles, SUVs, to the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, under yet unclear but alleged illegal circumstances. The senator, who has been in the news lately after he accused the police boss of nepotism, tribalism, favouritism, cash for promotion and diversion of funds including involvement in amorous affairs with female junior officers, was recently charged to court for defamation of character and peddling of falsehood by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF.
Mr. Misau, a former cop, who was also accused of deserting the police by the spokesperson of the force, has however maintained that he was being victimised by the authorities for saying the truth. Mr. Misau made the latest round of allegations when he appeared before the Senate ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the allegations levelled by the lawmaker against the IGP. Mr. Misau explained how the IGP reportedly gave Mrs. Buhari the two cars, adding that the details of the donation were contained in the documents the police boss submitted to the court in the suit instituted against him by the AGF, Mr. Malami, on behalf of the Federal Government.
“I still have some contract papers that the IG himself submitted to the court, where the First Lady through her aide-de-camp. ADC requested a Toyota Hiace and a Sienna jeep. The same day that the ADC wrote, the IG minuted that she should be given two cars. And it is not part of the appropriation. If you look at the appropriation, there is nowhere they said the First Lady should be given two jeeps. “The letter came from the ADC to the wife of the President. The most unfortunate thing is that even in the letter, the ADC wrote that they wanted the vehicles for her ‘private engagements’. They wrote that they wanted Sienna and Hiace but the IG said they should be given two Sports Utility Vehicles. And he supplied the document to the court,” he said. The director of information to the wife of the president, Suleiman Haruna, said” he had no information on the matter at the time.”
Mr. Misau, while appearing before the lawmakers, also said the current acting Lagos commissioner of police, Edgal Imohimi, was posted to Lagos State, a reportedly ‘juicy slot,’ because he was a classmate to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. He did not however indicate if the governor pressurised Mr. Idris to post the commissioner of police there. He however alleged that” appointments and positions are given to candidates who are not eligible”, by the IGP. “There is a lot of favouritism in the promotion and appointment of commissioners of police. Deputy commissioners of police, DCP are given commissioner of police (positions) 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, but was 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. “The reason why they took him (Imohimi) to Lagos was because he is a friend to the Governor of Lagos State, because they were in school together and because they studied a course together. “The IGP posted a commissioner of police who for the past 17 years has not worked or served in a police formation to take charge of a state. This officer, who was a former Police ADC (aide de camp) to the late former Governor (Diepreye) Alamiesiegha and also served under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is now the commissioner of police, Adamawa State.
He also accused the IGP of” manipulating his retirement age.” “The expected date of retirement of the IGP was fraudulently doctored on the Staff List of Senior Police Officers. I have a copy of the Staff List of when he became IG and I have another one of when he was an Assistant Commissioner of Police, which show that the dates are different.” The lawmaker also accused Mr. Idris of awarding contracts worth over N2 billion to a” Peugeot car dealer to acquire Toyota cars.” “In the papers the IG submitted to the court, I saw one Kaura Motors. Kaura Motors deals in Peugeot cars but the same day they were given two contracts: one of them is N1.2 billion, the other one is about N1.5 billion, to supply Toyota vehicles. How can you give a contract to somebody who is a dealer in Peugeot to supply Toyota?”, he asked.
Not done yet, Mr. Misau reminded the committee of an earlier probe of the activities of the IG by the House of Representatives, which indicted the police boss for alleged diversion of funds meant for security vans in the 2016 budget for the security outfits.” The IGP is alleged to have diverted the funds provided under the 2016 Appropriations Act for the acquisition of Armoured Personnel Carriers 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.”
He maintained his earlier allegation that the police under Mr. Idris’ leadership were being paid for security services to organisations and individuals. “It is not a flat rate. Even here in the National Assembly, a lot of senators are paying police under the ‘SPU.’ Even in the National Assembly, when senators are travelling, they apply and they are told to pay (an officer) maybe N5,000 per day. People pay; it is an open secret”, he said.
The Senator also had flak for the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN who he accused of subtly abetting Mr. Idris’ alleged financial crimes in deploying police officers to banks and collecting payments. He asked the lawmakers to request that the CBN furnish them with the statement of a “GL Account”, which, according to him,” is meant for bank managers from where they draw money to run their branches.” “You will see the kind of money they are paying every month (to the police) from that account. The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele around June and July of this year directed all commercial banks to give money to police in hundreds of millions – every commercial bank (from the account). That money runs into billions”, Mr. Misau said. Efforts made to speak with Acting Director of Communication at CBN, Isaac Okoroafor, on this allegation were unsuccessful as he did not return calls. Mr. Misau also gave an insight into the worsening feud that had erupted between the the duo in recent weeks. He explained that he had had a cordial relationship with the IGP even despite the allegations he (Misau) had made against the force, until he (Idris) started calling him a deserter.
“All of a sudden, for the IG to start saying that I am a deserter. He just took it personal because of incompetence, because he does not know how to handle the situation. I don’t have any issue with the IG”, he said. Attempts to speak to the police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, via phone calls as at the time of filing report were unsuccessful.
Source: Premium times
