The House of Representatives on Thursday, 26 July ordered its Committees on Public Assets and Procurement to investigate allegations of corruption against the Nigeria Police Force, ranging from illegal sale of national assets to diversion of public funds.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Abia lawmaker, Ibe Osunwa and three others during Thursday’s plenary.
Osunwa , while drumming support for the motion, said that the core mandate of the Nigéria Police Force, as enshrined in Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), includes the protection of lives and property, prevention and detection of crime, and enforcement of all laws and regulations.
The lawmaker expressed worry over multiple allegations against the police involving abuse of office and unprofessional conduct.
“The House is concerned that recent allegations of abuse of office, lack of due process and corruption in the Nigeria Police Force threaten the credibility, operational efficiency, and national security objectives of the For¢e;
“We are concerned that the NPF Procurement Department reportedly awarded a contract worth N6 billion to Crown Natures Nigeria Limited by splitting it into 66 separate contracts in a deliberate attempt to circumvent the Public Procurement Act, 2007, particularly in the procurement of Police uniforms as reported by investigative media platforms including Ape Reporters.
“The House is disturbed by the reported sale of critical national security assets including Garki Police Barracks (Abuja), Falomo Police Barracks (Lagos), and Bompai Barracks (Kano) to private individuals closely linked to Exima Realty Company Ltd, without due process or required approvals from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Ministry of Police Affairs, the Federal Executive Council and in total disregard for the Public Private Procurement.
“The House is worried that various contracts under the 2024 budget running into tens of billions of naira have allegedly been awarded by the Nigeria Police Force without compliance with statutory procurement processes, including the Federal Executive Council’s approval, Ministerial Tenders Board vetting, and Bureau of Public Procurement no-objection certification”, he said.
Osunwa listed the companies involved in the alleged violations to include Dexterity Development Ltd., KC Construction Ltd, Contract Technologies Ltd., Strong Tower Infrastructure Development Ltd., among others.
The House also expressed worry over reports of the diversion of ₦2.9 billion meant for the Safe School Initiative under a contract awarded to Vigiscope Ltd.
“Despite failing to meet statutory requirements such as obtaining a NITDA certificate as mandated for all ICT-related procurements in Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Osunwa also expressed worry on behalf of the House “About credible allegations that several contracts amounting to over N50 billion were paid to unqualified and unverified companies for the supply of arms, boots, gunboats, and forensic intelligence equipment, without any execution or delivery, thereby putting national security at risk.”
The companies involved in this alleged violation include PSGL Nigeria Ltd., SOLYD Nigeria Ltd., Toffy Ventures Ltd., Rush Rights Ltd., Value Exchange Ltd., and Radio Tactics Global Services, among others.
The motion stressed that if urgent steps are not taken, “These acts of impunity and financial misconduct could erode public confidence in the Police Force and sabotage national security and development efforts.”
Following the adoption of the motion, the mandated the two committees to investigate the extent of procurement breaches and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.
Source: Punch online
