But, for the disagreement in the sharing formula, the fraud, which was perpetrated during the 2009 promotional examinations for officers, would have gone unnoticed, Sunday Independent investigations have revealed.
Sources revealed that during the promotional examinations held in 2009, officers who participated in the exercise at the college, were alleged to have paid N7,500 each as bribe to the officers involved in conducting the examinations and assessments for promotion.
Our correspondent gathered that some disgruntled officers, who were originally part of the deal, but felt short changed, wrote a petition to the recently confirmed Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba, who was so upset by the magnitude of the scandal, that he wasted no time in deploying senior officers from Abuja to Lagos to commence immediate investigations into the bribe scandal.
These officers were drawn from 150 squads of the Nigeria Force, nationwide.
A squad is made up of 50 serving police officers, which translates to 7500 officers.
However, some of the officers were allegedly cajoled to part N7,500 each if they are determined to pass the examinations and assessments and eventually be promoted, in which case those involved might have made not less than N52.3 million in a single swoop.
The aggrieved officers were alleged to have petitioned Abba, who in turn, ordered some senior police officers from Abuja to Lagos to investigate the matter.
When our correspondent visited the Conference Hall of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja on Thursday, some officers, who wrote the examination were seen writing statements on what they knew about the alleged bribe scandal.
When contacted on phone on Friday, Force Public Relations Officer, and an Acting Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, denied knowledge of the scandal rocking the college.
However, another source has said that heads may roll if some officers involved in the conduct of the examinations and the assessments are found wanting.
This latest scandal is coming on the heels of the monumental decay in the college uncovered by Channels TV in January 2013.
President Goodluck Jonathan, while reacting to a TV documentary, said that it was a calculated attempt to damage the image of his government.
He, however, paid an unscheduled visit to the Police College, Ikeja, on his way out of the country for an official engagement.
With the President were the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone Mamaah Tsafe; the former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Umar Manko, and other military and Air Force officers.
Jonathan, who arrived at the college premises at about 3.pm, immediately proceeded on an inspection tour of the hostels, college kitchen, dining hall and the Officers’ Mess.
For the college authorities, the visit was nothing short of an embarrassment, as the Commandant of the college, CP I. F. Yerima, was unable to tell the President how and when Channels TV filmed the decay in the institution
No comments:
Post a Comment