SENATE: Misau drags Aisha Buhari into IGP’s scandal, tells how Idris bought her 2 SUVs

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator, representing Bauchi Central senatorial district at the Senate, Isah Misau has again accused the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, of allegedly purchasing two Prado SUVs for President Muhammadu Buhari’s Wife, Mrs. Aisha, for personal use.

Misau who seems not to have exhausted alleged acts of corruptions being perpetrated by the IGP made this latest disclosure on Wednesday when he appeared before the eight-member Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate led by Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo North).

The senator, who appeared before the committee probing alleged acts of corruption he leveled against Idris, narrated to the committee how the First Lady, through his Aide de Camp, had asked for a Sienna and Hiace. He said that the IGP instead bought two Prado SUVs, contrary to what Aisha requested for.

“The Inspector- General of Police gave the First Lady, wife of the President, two SUVs and this came through a letter from the ADC to the First Lady who requested on her behalf that she needed a Sienna and Hiace for personal use, but she was given the two SUVs for her private use.”

Making further allegations against Idris, Misau told the committee how the IGP manipulated his retirement date. According to the senator, the expected date of retirement of the IGP was deceptively tampered with on the staff list of senior police officers from January 3 -15, 2019.

He alleged that the IGP employed four civilians in his office and has been receiving the salary of the rank of Assistant Inspector- General of Police (AIG). Misau added that the Idris has been making use of a retired police officer he employed himself, to handle investigations.

This, Misau argued, is in contradiction to the code and Act establishing the Police Force. The Act stipulates that all investigative cases were to be under the Deputy Inspector-General of Police , DIG, in Area 10, Garki, Abuja, and not a retired officer.

Explaining earlier allegations he leveled against the IGP he said, “Sometime in July 2017, I was in the office of Senator Baba Kaka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business when a Daily Trust reporter sought my views on the information that policemen pay as much as N500,000 for special promotion.

“To verify this information, I called some serving police officers who confirmed to the three of us that the information was not only true, but also that the amounts paid are up to N2, 500,000, in addition to other information.

“I, hereby, forward for your consideration, the detailed terms of allegation against the Inspector General of Police, 1GP, and Police Service Commission (PSC) deployment of policemen to private organisations. “Between 50,000 and 100,000 policemen are routinely deployed by the police to oil companies, oil servicing companies, banks, oil marketers, and private individuals etc, with regular payments made to the police.

“While these monies are estimated to run into billions monthly, they are, however, unaccounted for. Today, the situation is so bad that businessmen with dubious characters and suspicious businesses now go about with full detachment of policemen and some with full convoy and blasting siren, especially in Lagos, Port Harcourt and other major cities in the country.

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“This worsens the country’s policing ratio of one policeman to about 800 citizens, against the UN recommended ratio of one policeman to 400 citizens. PSC whose main function is to recruit, train, discipline, promote and retire members of the Force, appears to have left its core mandate to indulge almost exclusively in promotion racketeering.

“There are a lot of favouritisms in the promotion/appointment of commissioners of police. Junior deputy commissioners of police are given commissioner of police in acting capacity, against seniority and merit, thereby blocking eligible candidates.

“A recent example is the current Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who is a junior DCP to two other DCPs, now given acting CP and posted to Lagos. These acts of favouritism have eroded discipline in the Force, which is the backbone of any successful organisation.”

The Senate committee chairman probing the matter Alimikhena, meanwhile, has said that Idris will appear before the committee next week to tell his own side of the story.

There are currently legal actions instituted against Misau by the Federal Government which had accused him of making false accusation against the IGP.

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