The Integrity Youth Alliance, an organisation that has been monitoring the development trends in the Nigeria Police Force for over 15 years, has said the petition by a CSO to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged misappropriation of the sum of N234 billion by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is baseless and mischievous.
Reacting to the allegation by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) at the roundtable on Police Reform and Accountability on Tuesday, the National Coordinator of the Alliance, Kelvin Adegbenga, said that the claims of diversion of funds for internal security, contract awards, and disposal of police assets to cronies are unfounded coming from those who failed to get the position of the IGP and those who were retired compulsorily for forging their service years and age to remain in office forever.
“Since assuming office, IGP Egbetokun has implemented significant measures to enhance internal oversight and promote accountability within the Nigeria Police Force
“He has been actively promoting transparency and accountability within the Force, and his dedication to upholding accountability and transparency as key pillars of effective policing has not changed to date.
“IGP Egbetokun never diverted ₦6 billion from the Police Internal Security Operations budgetary allocation, as alleged by those unscrupulous elements hiding under the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA).
“Egbetokun’s cornerstone has been accountability and transparency. He has experts who advise him appropriately on contracts and other sundry issues, Adegbenga said.
“It is high time the Nigeria police enforced relevant sections of the law on the almost daily defamation of the character of the person of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Egbetokun.
“There is no amount of blackmailing that will detract from the IGP’s vision of building a force that is professionally competent, service-driven, and rule-of-law compliant, the statement concluded.
