THE NATION

How N5b police fund was spent on car gifts        28/1/2008

By Leke Salaudeen

THERE were more revelations at the weekend of how the huge Police Equipment Fund went down the drain.

The Presidential Committee on Police Equipment Fund (PCPEF) spent over N5 billion on car gifts, it was learnt. The beneficiaries are the National Assembly, security agencies, government departments and individuals.

This contravenes the sole objective of the committee in raising funds to equip the police.

According to a PCPEF document on which The Nation stumbled, the committee listed as beneficiaries the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFC-C), which received 15 vehicles; Ministry of Foreign Affairs (15); Nigeria Civil Defence Corps (10); State Security Service (SSS) (10); Federal Ministry of Interior (10); police (325); Army (10); Nigerian Intelligence Agency (five); and Directorate of Intelligence (eight).

Others are: Senate Committee on Police Affairs (15), House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs (10), retired Inspector General of Police Mr. Sunday Ehindero (one) Yar’Adua Campaign Organisation (15) and the Sultan (two).

It was learnt that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida rejected the car offer. Obasanjo was said to have been presented with two bullet-proof BMW which he returned instantly.

The Obasanjo administration in February 2006 set up the PCPEF to raise funds to equip the police materially, mentally and morally. But, after collecting funds running into several billions of naira, the committee quietly transformed into a non-governmental organisation called the police equipment fund.

All local governments made a joint donation of N7.78 billion to the fund. Other donors include state governments, banks, oil companies, corporate organizations and government parastatals.

The fund was intended to supplement the Federal Government’s funding of the police for the special and urgent acquisition of: Body armour; helicopter and communication equipment; armaments and other equipment and as well for renovation of barracks and training for community policing.

Among the equipment procured for the police are 250 BMW luxury cars and four-wheel drives which former Inspector General of Police Mr. Ehindero rejected on the ground that such cars are not the equipment needed by the police to perform its statutory functions. But the incumbent IG, Mr Mike Okiro, was said to have taken delivery of the cars and distributed them among the echelon of the police.

Following the deviation of the PCPEF from its primary objective and its transmutation into the Police Equipment Foundation, petitions from within and outside the committee flooded the Presidency, the National Assembly, EFCC, ICPC and the Police Headquarters calling for a public probe of the management of the Police Equipment Fund.

In one of such petitions addressed to the President, a member of the PCPEF, Dr. Godson Ewulum, urged the Presidency to probe the activities of the committee, particularly the donations collected from the public which he estimated at N30 billion; acquisition of foreign loans of $150 million and $5.3 million; trading on cars with motor companies; distribution of cars to other agencies of government and private individuals; N50 million loan obtained from First Inland Bank and the huge interest generated by the lodgements in the banks which, he alleged, have not been accounted for by the co-ordinator of the Police Equipment Foundation, Mr Kenny Martins.

The petitioner alleged that despite the fact that the Obasanjo-led Federal Executive Council refused to ratify the project – (PCPEF) – Chief Martins went ahead to change the committee into an NGO, thereby diverting all the assets and funds raised by the Presidential Committee to the Foundation.

Attempts made by Senate President David Mark who was the Senate Committee Chairman on Police Affairs in the former dispensation, to sanitize the affairs of the committee failed.

On the strength of the petitions received, Senator Mark wrote the chairman of the Police Equipment Fund Project and former Minister of State for the Interior Chief Broderick Bozimo, in which he expressed grave concern over the turn of event with the project.

In a letter dated March 21, 2007 Senator Mark said inter alia: "I find the petitions very serious. If the allegations are true, it would have serious consequences, I suggest that you intervene and nip it in bud."

Thereafter, Bozimo summoned a meeting of the management team of the Police Equipment Fund Committee vide a letter with Ref MIA/IIMSI/232/T/07 dated March 30, 2007. The meeting was scheduled for April 3, 2007 in the minister’s conference room.

The circular letter requested the management to come along with a comprehensive up to date report on the work of the committee; programme and immediate plans of the committee; and reports on the accounts and finances of the committee.

The meeting did not hold because, according to an insider, the co-ordinator, Mr Martins, who was to render a report, failed to attend.

Concerned Nigerian Youths under the aegis of National Association of Nigeria Youths wonder why Senator Mark who felt so concern as chairman Senate Committee on Police Affairs to have personally written Bozimo and Ehindero then, have suddenly changed his disposition to the issue.

The youth said their concern stemmed from the failure of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to act on petitions lodged before them on the misappropriation and diversion of the fund.

Attempts made by The Nation to get Martins’ comment failed. When he first responded to a call on telephone last week, he promised to call our correspondent back.

Since then, Martins’ phone has always been ringing without reply. It was similar experience with his deputy Prince Ibrahim Dumuje and Mr. Okiro the Inspector General.