– Former IGP Ibrahim Idris is reportedly facing probe over N311m election fund
– The acting IGP, Mohammed Adamu, was said to have ordered the interrogation of some officers who were among the election committee set up the former IGP Idris
– It was revealed that the former IGP had written to President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2018, requesting for the election fund
The acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, was said to have on Thursday, January 24, asked members of an election committee set up by immediate past IGP Ibrahim Idris to explain how about N311.640 million given to the committee was disbursed.
Daily Independent reports that the Force Headquarters sources allegedly hinted that some of the committee members reported and were interrogated, but were allowed go back to their various commands.
Tracknews.ng gathered that the newspaper said source could not, however, disclose the number of those who reported and their ranks. The IGP was said to have directed DIG (R&P) Mohammed Katsina to interrogate them.
It was reported that the chairman of the committee, a commissioner of police, was absent, because President Buhari was visiting his zone. The details of the interrogation were not immediately known.
Daily Independent investigations revealed that the former IGP had written to President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2018, requesting for the money.
It was learnt that dependable sources disclosed that a certain amount was eventually released to the committee.
Investigations further revealed that Idris coded the committee as ‘Pre-election Threat Analysis & Security Measures.’
The committee was headed by a Commissioner of Police (CP) and with two other CPs, as well as three Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), including the DCP in charge of transport as members.
According to findings, others in the committee were former Force public relations officer, Jimoh Moshood, five Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASPs), and DSPs, as well as Inspectors and Sergeants.
“They were about 200 in number,” a source at Force Headquarters was quoted.
Investigations further revealed that Idris had informed the presidency that the committee would be spread to the six geo-political zones and secretly comb the zones of any threat to peaceful elections.
It was also gathered that the former IGP stated in the letter that, “the committee will monitor the six geo-political zones for 30 days before the elections begin.”
“That implied that the committee was supposed to start the monitoring exercise on December 15, 2018 and round off on January 15, 2019.
The newspaper also noted that a source close to the committee hinted that some members of the committee in the southeast geopolitical zone were still in operation as at Wednesday, January 23, 2019.
Investigations also revealed that Idris, in the letter to the president, budgeted N24 million to fuel 80 vehicles that were supposed to cover the six geopolitical zones for 30 days, another N70 million was budgeted to service some equipment.
Similarly, N6 million was budgeted for the media for the six geopolitical zones.
According to the newspaper, senior officers were to get N500,000 as allowance for the 30 days, but a member of the committee disclosed in confidence that CPs got N420,000 while rank/file got N5,000 each for 30 days.
According to the newspaper, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Frank Mba, when contacted on phone, said he could not “confirm the veracity of the report,” adding, “I am yet to be briefed on it.”
