Police IG raises probe panel on officers’ allowances

The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Ibrahim Idris, has set up a special panel to investigate issues surrounding the payment of entitlements of personnel engaged in adhoc duties.

Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Don Awunah, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

Awunah said the move followed the delay, omission and discrepancies in payment of allowances to officers’’ who participated in the just-concluded gubernatorial election in Ondo State.

He said the panel would also look into “complaints of irregularities from certain quarters and discoveries of possible anomalies and plausible foul play’’, which were of deep concern to the I-G.

According to him, the panel is empowered to investigate the entire payment system, streamline and enhance payment of entitlements of the affected personnel.

The panel has four terms of reference to guide it in its assignment. They are;

a. Investigating thoroughly the recent payment of allowances to personnel of the force to determine if the money released for the payment of the allowances was utilised accordingly, providing bank records as evidence.

b. Liaising with the Ministry of Finance on the perennial problematic nature of paying allowances.

c. Setting up standard modalities that will be adopted by the force to address payment of allowances given by the Federal Government for the conduct of subsequent elections in the country, and

d. Recommending where appropriate disciplinary actions against erring officers both within and outside the force.

“The panel, at the end of the investigation, is to recommend professional modalities for payment of allowances in line with government due process for subsequent payment of allowances to personnel of the force engaged in adhoc duties.

“This development is pursuant to the policy of the Inspector-General of Police for transparency and accountability in all aspects of the Nigeria Police Force and in readiness for the establishment of a standard template that would be used in the conduct of subsequent elections,’’ Awunah said.

Chaired by a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ali Ahmadu, the panel has representatives of the offices of the Police Account and Budget, Directorate of Finance, DIG Operations and IGP Project Monitoring Unit as members.

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A representative from the office of the Police Legal Section is to serve as secretary of the panel, while a representative from the Special Investigation Panel will assist the chairman on the investigation.