Inspector-General of Police ( IGP) Ibrahim Idris on Friday, said he is ready to appear before the Senate to clear himself of allegations of corruption if he receives approval from his legal team to do so.
Idris who was at the Presidential Villa as part of his routine duties to brief the President Muhammadu Buhari on national security issues, stated this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents after meeting with the President
Senate has set up an eight-man ad hoc committee to investigate allegations of corruption brought against the Inspector General of Police(IGP), Ibrahim Idris, by a senator, Isah Misau (APC-Bauchi).
Following the allegations of corruption levelled against by Isah Misau, Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy and an All Progressive Congress( APC) senator representing Bauch Central Senatorial district, the Senate set up an eight-man ad hoc committee to investigate allegations of corruption brought against him.
READ ALSO: Breaking: FG set to confirm confirm Adamu as IGP
The IGP is amongst other things being alleged to have diverted funds meant for the purchase of armoured vehicles in preference for luxury cars, without virement.
Misau also alleged that ” One Police officer is supposed to serve 400 people, but in Nigeria, it is one Police officer to 800 people, while one private marketer has more than 30 policemen.
“A situation like that only depletes the number of Police personnel available to protect the ordinary citizens.
“We have excellent Police officers who are now demoralised because promotion is no longer based on merit and years of service.
“Another thing I found out is that there is illegal diversion of funds. Under the 2016 Budget, there was a line item for purchase of Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), but instead of the APCs, luxury cars were purchased without virement,’’
He was also alleged to have bought sport utility vehicles ( SUV) for the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, which the Police Authorities had since denied,
But when asked if he is prepared to appear before the Senate, he said that ” There are legal issues, we are discussing with our legal team, obviously, if there is a need we are going to appear for the sake of having respect for the Senate, I will appear before them”
He disclosed that he was at the Villa to brief the President on security challenges, Inc, using preparations for elections in Anambra state and other parts of the country especially some of these involving kidnappings.
READ ALSO: Ondo guber: IGP reads riot act to officers deployed to ensure security
This is just as the Police Chief is also being saddled with the responsibilities of securing the President who will soon be embarking on a tour of the South East.
He declared that about 21,000 officers will be deployed to Anambra State ahead of the November 18 gubernatorial elections.
“Obviously we are deploying a lot of police officers, almost about 21,000 police officers to be able to provide adequate security in the Anambra election, we are deploying our water boats to take care of the waterways, we are deploying our helicopters to take care of the aerial surveillance and we are deploying our conventional policemen and special police units to take care of situations on the ground and by the grace of God we are going to have successful and peaceful elections in Anambra state”
“Kaduna Abuja road as you observed we have deplored our special units there and we have arrested several of these kidnappers and I want to appreciate the effort of the National Assembly for providing sort of a death penalty for suspects arrested involved in some of these cases of kidnapping and sure that in some few weeks we are going to have drastic fall in the report of some of these incidences of kidnapping on those areas because of this punishment that has been made now by the National Assembly.”
On when the suspects will be charged to courts, he declared that “We are taking them to court on an everyday basis. Presently, we have almost over 3000 suspects in the various police stations all over the country and we are taking them to court, recently I set up a task force to sort of streamline or scrutinize these cases so that we have a speedy trial of some of these suspects”
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
