July 22, 2007
Acting Inspector General of Police Mike Okiro Friday in Port Harcourt evaded questions relating to his alleged involvement in the attempt to dispossess the Police of funds meant for the welfare of officers and men. John Obaniyi, the Commissioner of Police in-charge of Finance had reportedly implicated Okiro and some others, saying they were all part of the scam to clean out the sum of N21 million meant for the force. When the Telegraph reporter who was at the briefing of the acting Inspector General of Police asked him about his alleged implication in the N21 million deal, Okiro replied, "I am in Port Harcourt talking about this hostage taking, you are talking about Abuja." Telegraph: But they are all national issues.... Okiro: Well, if they are all national issues, one should be more important than the other. It was obviously an attempt to down play his alleged link with the most topical issue involving fraudulent practices that have hurt the growth, efficiency and mobility of the Nigerian police force Obaniyi shortly after he was nabbed, did not spare his interrogators any detail. We can authoritatively report that John Obaniyi, a commissioner in charge of finance at the police headquarters, and a principal target of investigations into the source of N21 million seized while being moved out of Police Headquarters in Abuja, has named Okiro, Ehindero and others in shady financial deals. Obaniyi was recently indicted for corruption by a panel set up by Okiro. But Obaniyi, whose statement believed to have implicated senior police officers is allegedly being suppressed, has smuggled out his original statement that accuses senior police officers of participating in an elaborate corruption scheme.
According to Obaniyi's statement, the former Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, actually stole the N21 million found in Obaniyi's possession. Besides, Obaniyi revealed that several members of the police hierarchy shared close to N100 million from funds provided to the police to help rig the April. Obaniyi's statement specifically asserted that Deputy Inspector General Onovo was paid N6 million while Mike Okiro received N5 million. Two principal staff officers attached to the IG, namely Solomon Arasen. (PSO1) and Leye Oyebade (PSO2), received N3 million and N2 million respectively. The statement also accused the police spokesman, Haz Iwendi, of taking N2 million from the fund that was shared.
Obaniyi's statement confirms widespread speculation that several senior police officers were fully involved in the cash scandal, hence the insistence by Okiro that the investigation must be conducted internally, not farmed out to other anti-corruption agencies. Okiro was said to be deeply involved in the rigging of the April 2007 elections, the reason he has instructed his officers not to cooperate with electoral tribunals looking into election fraud cases across Nigeria. According to the statements, Obaniyi called for independent bodies to investigate his case with the police authorities, a source who obtained the statements for Saharareporters, said "he (John Obaniyi) continues to deny any wrong doing" stating that he was doing the biddings of his bosses, but was caught on the wrong side of their internal politics. He expressed serious fears that the police hierarchy might kill him by poisoning his food and then claim that he committed suicide.
According to Obaniyi's statement, the former Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, actually stole the N21 million found in Obaniyi's possession. Besides, Obaniyi revealed that several members of the police hierarchy shared close to N100 million from funds provided to the police to help rig the April. Obaniyi's statement specifically asserted that Deputy Inspector General Onovo was paid N6 million while Mike Okiro received N5 million. Two principal staff officers attached to the IG, namely Solomon Arasen. (PSO1) and Leye Oyebade (PSO2), received N3 million and N2 million respectively. The statement also accused the police spokesman, Haz Iwendi, of taking N2 million from the fund that was shared.
Obaniyi's statement confirms widespread speculation that several senior police officers were fully involved in the cash scandal, hence the insistence by Okiro that the investigation must be conducted internally, not farmed out to other anti-corruption agencies. Okiro was said to be deeply involved in the rigging of the April 2007 elections, the reason he has instructed his officers not to cooperate with electoral tribunals looking into election fraud cases across Nigeria. According to the statements, Obaniyi called for independent bodies to investigate his case with the police authorities, a source who obtained the statements for Saharareporters, said "he (John Obaniyi) continues to deny any wrong doing" stating that he was doing the biddings of his bosses, but was caught on the wrong side of their internal politics. He expressed serious fears that the police hierarchy might kill him by poisoning his food and then claim that he committed suicide.
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