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Ondo 2016: IGP sets up special committee to probe alleged non-payment pf police allowances

By Karls Tsokar, Abuja.
03 December 2016   |   2:40 am
Following the protest by officers of the Nigeria Police that participated in the last Saturday governorship election in Ondo State over alleged unpaid allowances ...

Ibrahim-

Following the protest by officers of the Nigeria Police that participated in the last Saturday governorship election in Ondo State over alleged unpaid allowances, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has set up a Special Investigative Panel (SIP) to unearth the root of the circumstances that led to the unpleasant incident and forestall future occurrence.

Police personnel deployed from different parts of the country to maintain security in all parts of the state so as to ensure the smooth conduct of the election, became agitated when their duty allowances were not paid into their accounts even when after the process had been completed and a winner announced.

According to a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) Don Awunah, the committee became imperative as the “complaints of irregularities from certain quarters and discoveries of possible anomalies and plausible foul play”, became obvious.

Recalled that the police spokesman, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), had issued a statement during the week condemning the action of the police officers, he said “the allowances for the officers and men of the force that participated in the security operations for the election are being paid. The payments were done through the banks into the account numbers submitted by the personnel in compliance with the policy of Federal Government on Treasury Single Account (TSA) to ensure transparency and accountability.

“The payments commenced a few days to the election and most of the personnel confirmed receipt of payment alerts into their accounts before the election.”

But the statement on the committee issued yesterday said the panel was to investigate, streamline and enhance payment of entitlements of the Force’s personnel who engage in ad hoc duties as the IGP is “deeply concerned about the delay, omission and discrepancies in payment of allowances to officers of the Nigeria Police Force who participated in the just concluded gubernatorial election in Ondo State”.

The panel to be chaired by retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Ali Ahmadu, with membership drawn from representative each  from the office of Police Account and Budget, the office of Director of Finance, the office of DIG Operations, the office of IGP Project Monitoring Unit, the office of the Special Investigation Panel to assist the chairman in conducting the investigation and the office of Police Legal Section who will serve as secretary.

According to Awunah the panel is to look into the entire payment system to appraise the recent payment to determine if it was misapplied or misappropriated, backed up with bank details, set “up standard modalities that will be adopted by the Force to address payment of allowances given by the Federal Government for the conduct of subsequent elections in the country.”

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