Okiro under pressure to repay police debt
By Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
Published: Saturday, 12 Jan 2008 www.Punchonthe web.com

Indications emerged on Thursday that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro is under pressure to repay the N541m debt he inherited from his predecessor, Mr. Sunday Ehindero.


The debt, Saturday Punch gathered, was accumulated from contracts allegedly awarded during Ehindero’s tenure and which were not paid for. Out of the sum, it was gathered that a very highly placed Nigerian is to collect N30m, being the payment for the job he executed for the police while Ehindero was still in office.

The influential contractor was said to have confronted Okiro in respect of the money but was rebuffed by the IGP. Okiro, who confirmed this development to our correspondent, however, refused to mention the identity of the contractor. He said, “Yes, an influential Nigerian came to me, asking that he should be paid the sum of N30m which the police were owing him as a result of a job he did for the police. I have told him that I don’t have such money.”

Attempts to get a reaction from Ehindero were unsuccessful as text messages to his GSM phone were not replied.

Also, Saturday Punch learnt that many policemen had gone on courses which were not approved by the Nigeria Police high command only for them to come and make claims. These policemen had sought for permission to attend the courses, giving the police high command the impression that the police would not carry the burden of paying the bill of such training programmes or studies.

Okiro, however, told our correspondent that he had asked the officers and the rank-and-file of the Nigerian Police Force to desist from applying for courses outside the country indiscriminately. Okiro said, “If you (officers) apply for a course and you are taken, if you bring the papers to me, I will approve it so far the police will not be involved in the financial aspect of it. But if a country like India writes to me asking me to nominate five persons for a course and we are the ones to pay, I will first of all ask the budget office if there is money for the programme before nominating the five officers.”

Okiro had at a meeting with senior police officers from the rank of commissioner on Wednesday said that he inherited a debt of N541m when he assumed office. The amount, he said, include debts owed contractors and the allowances that were due to officers that attended both local and international training programmes.

Comment:

Someone needs to ask sunday Ehindero, wht he did with the billions allocated to the Police!
The man should be locked up for life!

@Mamajama
Do you have any clues as to what Sunday did with all the money? Didn't you say you know the man??

Bankole01:

@Mamajama
Do you have any clues as to what Sunday did with all the money? Didn't you say you know the man??

Hahaha! Hehehe! I am really laughing my heart out

@topic,
When I said that it isn't yet UHURU for the ex-police boss (Ehindero), people like oga Mamajama, called for my head.
Now the can of worms are being opened gradually.

Ehindero is worse than Tafa as regards plundering the purse of the NPF.

The whole organistation just portrays an image of un-professionalism.

Courses approved to India and whatever, contracts given and services not paid for.

The comment by Mike Okiro doesn't inspire confidence either that he could effect the
changes that are necessary.