Reps probe Police over ‘missing’ $7.5million recovered loot

The House of Representatives on Tuesday ordered the Nigerian Police Force, to disclose the whereabouts of the sum of $7.5million, being a part of N37.5million recovered by the security agency in 2017, as proceeds of crimes.

Besides this, the House panel also demanded for details on a N360 million recovered as bribery from 26 Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officials conducting the 2019 governorship election in Rivers State.

The Police had, at an investigative hearing by an ad hoc Committee of the House investigating the assessment and status of all recovered loots, movable and immovable assets from 2002 to 2020 at the resumed hearing Tuesday, admitted to a lodgment of only $30million in a Central Bank of Nigeria account, from the total proceeds, but however, failed to account for  the balance of $7.5million.

The agency, also failed to explain to the Rep. Adejoro Adeogun(APC-Ondo) panel, how a document submitted before the committee, claimed that on the 10th March, 2017, separate amounts of N4.198million, N26,714,224.195 and N3.85billion were lodged by the Police, but did not reflect in any account at the CBN.

Earlier, the House Committee had lambasted the representative of the Inspector General of Police DIG, D. O. Ogbunike

The lawmakers accused the police of a lack of recovery account to pay in proceeds of loots, with representative of the Accountant General corroborating same.

The lawmakers said the attitude of the Police, “gives the impression that police just pays tithes from recoveries”.

The Chairman of the Committee, queries that “Does the Inspector General, give monthly returns on items recovered as proceeds from criminals?” adding that “From our findings, the Police System, is too opaque. The system makes stealing easy; it does.”

 Courtesy Vanguard

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