Wednesday, December 15, 2010
[size=14pt]Police discover 107,000 ghost officers[/size]

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja


A financial audit carried out by the Ministry of Police Affairs has uncovered about 107, 000 ghost officers in the Nigeria Police Force and billions lost to fraud by police accountants and pay officers.





http://odili.net/news/source/2010/dec/15/808.html


The exercise which commenced in September, 2010 uncovered fraudulent bank accounts through which monies were being siphoned by officers in charge of Mechanised Salary Sections, Police Pay Officers and accountants in all the states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.

About N6 billion were recovered within two months which would have been stolen by the pay officers and their collaborators in some commercial banks.

Already, some pay officers with Abia State Police Command have been arrested and were being quizzed over their roles in the financial scam in their state.

The massive fraud came to light during a meeting by the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim with MSS Officers and PPOs at the Force headquarters on Tuesday.

Ringim said that the consultant in charge of the audit, Mr. Bayo Adeyemo, discovered that the staff strength of the Force was not up to the 377,000 official figure.

He added that the audit also established the fact that bank officials connive with Police Pay Officers to steal money, noting that investigation had commenced and indicted officers would be prosecuted and jailed.

He said that pay officers often delayed payment of salaries unnecessarily while complaints of variated salaries and allowances by officers in some state commands were received daily. He observed that some pay officers had been found to have made multiple payments into accounts.

In one instance, the IGP added, about N15m was paid into some accounts monthly while cheques were also cashed in flagrant violation of government regulations that all payments must be done through e-payment.

Ringim recounted his experience when a pay officer in one of the state commands where he served attempted to give him stolen money, but he said that he declined the offer. "The pay officer said the money was for my expenses for staying in a hotel, but I rejected it because I don't want to fall into any trouble. The day they arrest him, he would mention my name. Some of you (pay officers) will go to jail," he said.

The police boss who frowned at the level of fraud and corruption in the MSS, stated that he had taken a decision to invite police accountants and pay officers as well as their civilian counterparts who were not under the direct authority of the Force.

He said, "On a daily basis, we receive complaints from men in Abuja and outside that their salaries have been unduly cut. Some state commands pay constables N16,000, some pay N18, 000 without reasons. Some accuse the MSS and pay officers and we are going to change those responsible this; government money is not a free thing for all to be converted to personal use.

"I have received complaints over and over that police salaries are deliberately delayed. It shouldn't happen in the police because it is an embodiment of law and order. All policemen that have served in MSS for two years must be changed as well as civilians. Salaries and emoluments that should have been paid by 27 and 28 of the month drag on and on. I will stamp out this fraud completely. I have low tolerance for such conduct. A lot of you will go to jail because too much government money has been stolen."

nija police sha

strangerf:

It is very unfortunate that most of the perpetrators are of Igbo origin

God save us from Igboland

Thank goodness I am not Igbo

fstranger pls live igbo out of this,,,it is a nigerian issue

if igbo's have inferiority complex, let them keep disgracing themselves,,,just my thought

lip service. Mshwwwwwwwww

strangerf:

It is very unfortunate that most of the perpetrators are of Igbo origin

God save us from Igboland

Thank goodness I am not Igbo

Where did you get this information?. Is your father a Nigerian police officer?.

Aloy+Emeka:

Where did you get this information?. Is your father a Nigerian police officer?.

No, it is obvious from the write-up!

strangerf:


No, it is obvious from the write-up!

You be babalawo?

Nah,

Egbeji with advanced training from Okija!

Well, two years after Yar adua promised us he would get rid of he ghost workers in the system, this is a big one.

^^^

Abio my sister from another mother

Oodua agbe wa ooooo

i knw one day we shall get there.i see 9ja as a nation that wil become a point of refrence, that wil be seen as a country that used 2 be corrupt.I surely believe God wil bring people of character and intergrity,most importantly people with the fear of God 2 lead us, Alah bless nigeria.

I hope they wont stop at telling us but actually move to correct the blunder.

Kobojunkie:

Well, two years after Yar adua promised us he would get rid of he ghost workers in the system, this is a big one.  

Were you expecting a dead-man-walking  to actually keep any of his empty promises?

@post

Anyway to get money.
I bet they even get more bribe/ check point money than the actual cops.
God is great!!!

I think the best thing to done is let more non-nigerians such as Ghanaians ana SAfricans come and control some of theses areas in the government.

Oh yes, I'll def love more Ghanaians in Nigeria. Sweet Jesus.

Those sweaty sexy muscles and abs in uniforms. . . .winking as they salute me! pheww.

Back to politics. . . .

Phate07:


Police has ghost workers and the average policeman is complaining of non-payment of salary?

Meanwhile, the police department is supposed to help us fight crime. How can they fight crime when they are corrupt themselves?.

the question is do this ghost police officers take bribe?

All Nigerians are corrupt hence redemption can never happen. It is not about leadership it is you and I . I cant wait for the second coming of christ - where the solution lies. Nigeria needs to be restarted.

blacksta:

All Nigerians are corrupt hence redemption can never happen.  It is not about leadership it is you and I .  I cant wait for the second coming of christ    - where the solution lies. Nigeria needs to be restarted.

All Nigerians are not corrupt abeg.

All hail Nigerians. Looting and doing thanksgiving for god's blessings.

I think nigerians see god as a deity that can be bribed with stolen goods.

God must be tired with our rottenness.

Ileke-IdI:

Were you expecting a dead-man-walking  to actually keep any of his empty promises?

@post

Anyway to get money.
I bet they even get more bribe/ check point money than the actual cops.
God is great!!!

Actually, much of what we still see today are results of projects started back when Yar adua was still in charge. Yes, not all even 30% but I like to give credit to those who it is due.

cheii, ghost police? wonders shall never end o, ghost keh!! chineke!
no wonder no trigger-happy police has ever been brought to book, they r ghost!, spirit, ikuku, appear & disappear.
but what do ghosts need money for na? should't they be in heaven or hell or wherever ghosts go to chill?

this is more than one-derfull, it's two-derfull, in short make it three-derfull.

IGP fit be ghost sef

Every IGP say this damn thing all the time, you never hear another one or list of people responsible for this

perhaps they are stylishly using consultants to siphon money carrying out these audits-

I thought Okoro and Onovo introduced some smart cards to weed out these ghost workers

Just imagine the figure, not 107 but 107,000.

Ghost workers are every where. We even have ghost figures and ghost materials. No wonder, Nigeria remains a ghost of the good old days.

The other day it was Ekiti state who discovered over 4000 ghost workers and 7000 others who work with forged certificates in the state . This is the resaon for unemployment in Nigeria because they create ghost employees to fill in the available vacancies.