ABUJA — THE Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, has slammed  three police officers caught with over N21 million with a three-count charge of conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and theft.

The officers are Commissioner of Police John Obaniyi, Deputy Superintendent of Police Olu Monday and Police Constable Elisha Augustine.
The police investigation concluded that the charges were borne out of the fact that a large sum of N21,650,000.00 which should have been lodged in a bank or placed in the safe was kept in a store room containing office files and empty cartons.

The IG in the report was particularly unhappy with  Obaniyi whom he accused of lying to him (Okiro). “I have directed that CP John Obaniyi, the erstwhile officer in charge of Budget, be issued with query for negligent act, discreditable conduct and conduct prejudicial to discipline. He has also been suspended from duty pending when a thorough investigation is concluded,” the IG said.

Okiro’s anger with Obaniyi stemmed from the fact that the “Commissioner of Police lied to me when I conducted an on-the-spot check in his office on June 6, 2007. He told me that the cash balance in his possession was the sum of four million naira and two hundred thousand US dollars meant for payment of allowances for officers and men who had participated in peacekeeping operations outside the country. Subsequently, he admitted during interrogation on the discovery of the N21,650,000.00 that he knew the balance was in a store in his office. The non-disclosure of this fact is sufficient proof that he wanted to do away with the money without the knowledge of the Force management.”

The CP in his defence stated that the N21 million found in his office was part of the one billion naira contingency fund given to the police for the 2007 general elections special duty tour allowance.

The CP said the former IG gave instructions on how the fund was to be distributed and that a balance of over N15 million is still in the bank. He gave the account number. Following his defence, the police reached their conclusion.

Stating the facts of the case, the report indicated that the saga was provoked by intelligence reports that a large sum of money was being moved from the Budget office in the Force Headquarters to an unknown destination. IG Okiro then directed a team of operatives to mount surveillance at strategic locations within the FHQ building.

“The directive was to intercept, arrest and stop further movement of money out of the FHQ building by any budget personnel or any other police officer.
"First to be apprehended was Elisha Augustine who was the official driver of CP John Obaniyi. A search on the bag he was carrying showed that it contained the sum of N900,000.00. The driver said he was sent to remove the money by DSP Olu Monday and that the money was meant for a DIG whose name he did not mention.

“The constable took the CIB operatives to the store from where he removed the money and a search was conducted. The sum of N13,650,000.00 and another N7,100,000.00 was found in a bag and carton respectively. The total amount recovered including the N900,000 was N21,650,000.00.

“A subsequent investigation recorded statements from ASP Magi Micheal, Danjuma Yahaya of the CIB and PC Elisha Augustine, DSP Olu Monday and CP John Obaniyi.

“When DSP Olu Monday was quizzed, he could not give a satisfactory account of the money but only managed to say that the money was part of the election fund, and that the CP Budget was in a better position to give adequate account of the money.

“The CP Budget’s driver, in his testimony, said he was asked by DSP Olu Monday in the month of June to go to the store and bring out the sum of N90,000,000. In the process of taking the money, he said ‘he met CIB man Maji Micheal (ASP) who stopped and asked him of the content of the bag. He told the driver that it was money and that he was taking it to a DIG.”

DSP OIu Monday:
He is the liaison officer coordinating the budget office in FHQ. Abuja/Lagos. He stated that the CP Budget instructed him to move the sum of twenty-one million six hundred and fifty thousand naira (N21,650,000.0O) to Assistant Commissioner Pay Office in Area 11, but he kept the money in the store which he believed was safer as the drawer in the budget safe was not in a good condition.

He further stated that on the 07/06/20Q7, he instructed F/No. 414306 PC Elisha Augustine to get him the sum of nine hundred thousand naira (N900,000.00) from the money to enable him balance the money utilised from the office vote in his possession. He averred that he could not take the money to the cash office because he was busy typing hand over notes and checking account balances in the bank.

CP John Obaniyi:
He was the Commissioner of Police in charge of Police Budget at the Force Headquarters, Abuja. He stated that he was aware that the sum of nine hundred thousand naira (N900,000.00) was found with F/No. 414306 PC Elisha Augustine his official driver. He further averred that the sum of Twenty-one Million Six Hundred and Fifty Naira (N21,650,000.00) recovered in one of the Budget offices on 07/05/2007 at about 0720hrs was part of the one billion naira (N1,000,000,000.00) contingency fund given to the Police for the 2007 general election special duty tour allowance.

That the former Inspector-General of Police gave directive on how the contingency fund was to be distributed. That a balance of about fifteen million, eight hundred thousand naira (N15,800,000.00) is still in the bank. He concluded by giving his account number at First Bank Plc.as 1842010006244.




All you FREAKING RUMOR MONGERS where are you NOW?

BIGb1 and his baby mama where are you?

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/june07/19062007/f419062007.html

here we go. Let the tongue start wagging.

In a civilize nation you wait for the facts and the conclusion of investigation before you start publishing mis-information. But in Nigeria the reverse is the case. What now? when will the law makers put a process in to stop defermation and slander of character. I've said it once and I will say it again, I don't buy any news from Nigerian news paper. they've lost their credibility long time ago.

Posted by MAMAJAMA:

I've said it once and I will say it again, I don't buy any news from Nigerian news paper. they've lost their credibility long time ago.

@MAMAJAMA:
Dude, so where is the story you've just posted came from? Answer= VANGUARD Nigeria

Is Vanguard Nigeria from Spain? Answer= No, it's from Nigeria.

If you don't buy any news from Nigerian news paper, why are you posting a story from Vanguard?

Dude wake up, you continue to look like a fool.

I still wish you are your family best of luck, but please take a vacation.

DUDE don't play stupid. that same report was on three paper. and it was on the same paper where you got the OKIRO bravery. dummy. and again what can I expect from a TYPICAL HAUSA boy?

You just don't get it.

@BIG B1

even though mamajama does not believe in news from any Nigerian Newspaper, at least you do. So he/she has to show you.

denex thank you as long as I disagree with him, he result to all this cheap barrage of bomb on me. I still got love for you biggy. i got the next round of palmwine and pepper soup.

@Mamajama

why are you thanking me? Abeg don't thank me O! Because when these people don't have anything more to say, they'll say you and I are one and the same person.

ha ha ha ha u dey fear? I dey OBODO Oyinbo you dey Lagos

I must say MAMA JAMA, u are a very interesting person.

By the way, why is the topic reading N21.6m Scam? It was not a scam, it was theft. Robbery without the use of force. That word scam is glorifying the crime a bit. That is how Nigerian millionaires and government officials steal money and next thing we hear on the news is that they "laundered" the money. Abeg lets maintain a clear distance between scam, theft and money laundering. Obaniyi was a thief not a con artist or a money launderer. The man's occupation was stealing; theft; advanced pilfery.

hey mamajama,u'r quite lucky dat ur popman has been vindicated(at least for once).anyway,u'r quite interesting, but i must confess a bit wacky are ur username appears to be. Abeg no dey misrepresent naija 4 ova there cos from ur posts, u seem to be a loca,