Posted by By BEN OKEZIE, Abuja on
A mind-boggling scandal blew open at the Force Headquarters, Abuja on Thursday, with the arrest of a Commissioner of Police and his two aides with local and foreign currencies totaling about N200 million.
A mind-boggling scandal blew open at the Force Headquarters, Abuja on Thursday, with the arrest of a Commissioner of Police and his two aides with local and foreign currencies totaling about N200 million.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of Budget at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, Mr John Obaniyi, who was arrested about mid morning, is being detained on the 7th floor of the Louis Edet Police Headquarters. He was said to have told his interrogators that the money was meant for the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero.
Obaniyi's arrest on Thursday followed the arrest of two policemen attached to his office during an attempt to move a travelling bag containing about N200 million overnight from the Force Headquarters.
The arrest of the commissioner and his aides typified the rot, which allegedly characterized the tenure of Ehindero.
Daily Sun gathered that initial investigations already revealed that the money was part of the funds meant for the provision of new uniforms and kits for policemen. Also, it was gathered that part of the money was meant for the payment of 250 officers who went on foreign mission to Haiti and Liberia. The officers were paid part of the estacode on May 25 and the balance was said to have been seized.
The new Inspector General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, who, only 48 hours ago, declared war on corruption within the Force, was said to have been stunned by the development.
As a result, he was said to have personally quizzed Obaniyi in his office, during which the embattled commissioner of police allegedly confessed that the money was meant for Ehindero.
After Obaniyi's confession, Okiro was said to have ordered his detention at the Force CID office while he also directed Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sir K.Z. Dudari, to take over the case.
The other two suspects, who were identified as Obaniyi's driver and orderly were said to have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday evening.
Obaniyi, who joined the police in 1974, got a special promotion as CP in 2006, from Ehindero. The two officers hail from the same Akoko Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The police are also believed to have launched investigation into a N2.5 billion belonging to the police cooperative, which is said to have been lodged in some secret accounts.
When contacted, the Force spokesman, Haz Iwendi, confirmed the arrest and the recovery of the huge sums of money.