THE Federal Government is to probe the rot in all the training institutions of the Nigeria Police nationwide, following the mess uncovered during last Friday’s surprise visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.A competent presidency source told the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja on Sunday that the decision became necessary following the sorry state of the facilities and the dehumanising environment at the college as earlier reported by a Lagos-based television station and contrary to the claims of the police high command on the matter.
The source revealed that the proposed probe would cover several years back in order to bring all those responsible for the rot, either serving or retired to book, since the rot did not start just recently.
According to the source, “to say the least, the president is not happy with what he saw at the Police College Ikeja, he decided to personally see things for himself when he heard of the rot, that was why he kept the surprise visit to himself and eventually his action paid off.”
“Some people will have to explain what happened to the billions of naira being budgeted for the training institutions on yearly basis comprising the colleges for recruits, rank and file, the academy for cadets and the staff college in Jos for the senior officers, you need to go to these training institutions, they are not habitable, their facilities are zero, nothing works, the trainees are even being made to pay for certain things to work, government will put an end to all these mess soonest,”the source declared.
The source hinted that the incumbent Inspector General of Police (IGP), M D Abubakar, apart from providing immediate answers to some begging questions on the rot in the institutions to the president, would also appear before the proposed probe panel on the matter along with some of his predecessors, retired, former and serving commandants of the institutions, contractors and the officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs, among others.
According to him, “all these characters will be brought out from wherever they may be. They have to come and state their roles in the rot, contracts are being awarded on yearly basis for the renovation and rehabilitation of the training institutions, supply of basic equipment such as dormitory facilities and what have you but such contracts only exist on papers. In some cases where supplies were made, such would be replaced later with old ones by the contractors acting on orders from the above.”
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the surprise visit of President Jonathan to the Ikeja Police College in Lagos last Friday and its likely effects are already causing ripples in the entire police force.
A very senior police officer told the Nigerian Tribune in confidence on Sunday that the officers and other ranks were indeed very happy with President Jonathant’s visit and wanted such to be extended to the police stations and barracks nationwide.
According to the officer, “rather than make use of the available money for those important things that will boost operations and enhance professionalism in the police, money is being pumped into unviable ventures and trivial things. Only recently, all the commissioners of police and zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, AIGs were directed to contribute a sum of N200,000 each for their commands and zones for the package of a television programme on the first anniversary of the IGP, where do you want them to get the money and they have to pay, since the organisers have covering letters to that effect.
“Look at what happened at Ikeja during the visit of Mr President, the commandant could not give any answer to all the questions put to him but he was trying to save his job. But things cannot continue like that, people will speak out when called upon at the appropriate time,” our source declared.
President Jonathan was amazed with the rot he saw at the Ikeja Police College last Friday and stormed out of the college in annoyance when its commandant, Police Commissioner LF Yerima, failed to produce any answer to the four questions put to him by his uninvited visitor.
In a related development, the IGP was said to be worried over the television documentary that prompted the surprise visit of President Jonathan to the Ikeja police college and has reportedly ordered a full investigation into the matter with a view to finding out how the television station was able to film its clips without being noticed, a question which the president himself asked from the commandant of the college which he could not answer.
Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said on Sunday that the petition from a rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) demanding probe into the rot in Ikeja Police College was receiving the requisite attention.
Commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Folu Olamiti told the Nigerian Tribune by phone that the petition dated last Friday “is receiving attention from us.”
The group had in the petition asked the commission’s head, Mr Ekpo Nta to “urgently and thoroughly probe the spending for police trainees’ welfare for the past 10 years.”
It said that this would “help to establish whether the money budgeted to improve the infrastructure and conditions of police colleges and trainees’ welfare across the country have been spent as allocated or simply stolen, misused or mismanaged.”
In a petition dated January 18, 2013 and signed by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the group also asked the agency to “ensure that any suspected perpetrators are brought to justice.”
According to the organisation, “recent investigation and documentary by Channels TV showed, among others, that training facilities are in terribly bad shape; that the college is overcrowded (housing 3,000 people instead of 750); that student hostels are in dilapidated conditions and lack beds, mattresses and decent and functional toilets.
“The poor, dehumanising and deteriorating conditions of the Police College, Ikeja and other police colleges across the country seem to explain why the force has been unable for many years to provide adequate security for the common man and to effectively tackle crimes.
“The inhuman and degrading treatment of police trainees, as shown by the Channels documentary also illustrates the deep rooted corruption in critical institutions of government and public services that have been completely neglected for several years,” SERAP noted.
The source revealed that the proposed probe would cover several years back in order to bring all those responsible for the rot, either serving or retired to book, since the rot did not start just recently.
According to the source, “to say the least, the president is not happy with what he saw at the Police College Ikeja, he decided to personally see things for himself when he heard of the rot, that was why he kept the surprise visit to himself and eventually his action paid off.”
“Some people will have to explain what happened to the billions of naira being budgeted for the training institutions on yearly basis comprising the colleges for recruits, rank and file, the academy for cadets and the staff college in Jos for the senior officers, you need to go to these training institutions, they are not habitable, their facilities are zero, nothing works, the trainees are even being made to pay for certain things to work, government will put an end to all these mess soonest,”the source declared.
The source hinted that the incumbent Inspector General of Police (IGP), M D Abubakar, apart from providing immediate answers to some begging questions on the rot in the institutions to the president, would also appear before the proposed probe panel on the matter along with some of his predecessors, retired, former and serving commandants of the institutions, contractors and the officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs, among others.
According to him, “all these characters will be brought out from wherever they may be. They have to come and state their roles in the rot, contracts are being awarded on yearly basis for the renovation and rehabilitation of the training institutions, supply of basic equipment such as dormitory facilities and what have you but such contracts only exist on papers. In some cases where supplies were made, such would be replaced later with old ones by the contractors acting on orders from the above.”
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the surprise visit of President Jonathan to the Ikeja Police College in Lagos last Friday and its likely effects are already causing ripples in the entire police force.
A very senior police officer told the Nigerian Tribune in confidence on Sunday that the officers and other ranks were indeed very happy with President Jonathant’s visit and wanted such to be extended to the police stations and barracks nationwide.
According to the officer, “rather than make use of the available money for those important things that will boost operations and enhance professionalism in the police, money is being pumped into unviable ventures and trivial things. Only recently, all the commissioners of police and zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, AIGs were directed to contribute a sum of N200,000 each for their commands and zones for the package of a television programme on the first anniversary of the IGP, where do you want them to get the money and they have to pay, since the organisers have covering letters to that effect.
“Look at what happened at Ikeja during the visit of Mr President, the commandant could not give any answer to all the questions put to him but he was trying to save his job. But things cannot continue like that, people will speak out when called upon at the appropriate time,” our source declared.
President Jonathan was amazed with the rot he saw at the Ikeja Police College last Friday and stormed out of the college in annoyance when its commandant, Police Commissioner LF Yerima, failed to produce any answer to the four questions put to him by his uninvited visitor.
In a related development, the IGP was said to be worried over the television documentary that prompted the surprise visit of President Jonathan to the Ikeja police college and has reportedly ordered a full investigation into the matter with a view to finding out how the television station was able to film its clips without being noticed, a question which the president himself asked from the commandant of the college which he could not answer.
Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said on Sunday that the petition from a rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) demanding probe into the rot in Ikeja Police College was receiving the requisite attention.
Commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Folu Olamiti told the Nigerian Tribune by phone that the petition dated last Friday “is receiving attention from us.”
The group had in the petition asked the commission’s head, Mr Ekpo Nta to “urgently and thoroughly probe the spending for police trainees’ welfare for the past 10 years.”
It said that this would “help to establish whether the money budgeted to improve the infrastructure and conditions of police colleges and trainees’ welfare across the country have been spent as allocated or simply stolen, misused or mismanaged.”
In a petition dated January 18, 2013 and signed by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the group also asked the agency to “ensure that any suspected perpetrators are brought to justice.”
According to the organisation, “recent investigation and documentary by Channels TV showed, among others, that training facilities are in terribly bad shape; that the college is overcrowded (housing 3,000 people instead of 750); that student hostels are in dilapidated conditions and lack beds, mattresses and decent and functional toilets.
“The poor, dehumanising and deteriorating conditions of the Police College, Ikeja and other police colleges across the country seem to explain why the force has been unable for many years to provide adequate security for the common man and to effectively tackle crimes.
“The inhuman and degrading treatment of police trainees, as shown by the Channels documentary also illustrates the deep rooted corruption in critical institutions of government and public services that have been completely neglected for several years,” SERAP noted.
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