The Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, has kicked against allegations that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, committed fraud via deductions from police salaries during his tenure.
Adejobi explained why there were deductions and how it happened.
His words: “In the first instance, salaries of Police officers, as with other public servants, are paid on the IPPIS platform from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation. The Inspector-General of Police is equally paid from the same platform, as every other officer. Access to make deductions, if any, rests with the handlers of the platform. It is equally pertinent to note that the 20% increment approved by the Federal Executive Council affects only allowances and not basic pay. To set the record straight, in 2013, the Nigeria Police Force acquired a mortgage institution, Fokas Savings and Loans Limited (now known as Nigeria Police Mortgage Bank Limited – NPMB), to assist every policeman to get housing loans from the Federal Mortgage Bank at low-interest rates.
“As part of the prerequisites to re-capitalise the bank and effect its change of name as stipulated by law, the then IGP directed that the ownership of the bank be thrown open to all police personnel to buy into the shares of the bank. Subsequently, sensitization activities were carried out and subscription forms were distributed.
“Deductions for the shares were made from the subscribers’ account and accrued money remitted directly to the CBN. Shares certificates were after that issued and made available for pick up at the various branches of the NPMB and other designated police offices for the 151,238 Police subscribers. The NPMB in furtherance of its mission has, in the past 9 years, giving out loans to the tune of 4.1bn Naira to police personnel in support of their house ownership aspirations.
“The continued aggressive and false information being spread by the management of Sahara Reporters in Nigeria, most especially against the Nigeria Police Force, has become a source of concern as their reportage clearly stems from a position of purposeful disinformation which is highly unacceptable. The Force hereby calls on reputable media houses to entrench the importance of professional standards in reportage, particularly where unverified information is concerned.
