Senator Isa Misau, lawmaker representing the Bauchi Central Senatorial District, has opened a can of worms on the crisis between him and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, saying Idris gave two Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) to the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari.
According to Misau, details of how Idris gave Mrs. Buhari the two SUV were contained in the documents the police boss submitted to court in the suit instituted against him by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, on behalf of the Federal Government.
“I still have some contract papers that the IG himself submitted to the court, where the First Lady through her aide-de-camp requested a Toyota Hiace and a Sienna jeep,” he said.
“The same day that the ADC wrote, the IG minuted that she should be given two jeeps. And it is not part of the appropriation. If you look at the appropriation, there is nowhere they said the First Lady should be given two jeeps.
“The letter came from the ADC to the wife of the President. The most unfortunate thing is that even in the letter, the ADC wrote that they wanted the vehicles for her private engagements; they wrote that they wanted Sienna and Hiace and the IG said they should be given two jeeps. And he supplied the document to the court.”
Misau, who appeared on Wednesday before the Senate committee investigating various allegations levelled against the Police, the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission, further accused the police boss of manipulating his retirement age.
“The expected date of retirement of the IGP was fraudulently doctored on the Staff List of Senior Police Officers from 3rd January to 15th January, 2019,” he said.
“I have a copy of the Staff List of when he became IG and I have another one of when he was an Assistant Commissioner of Police, which show that the dates are different.”
The lawmaker also claimed that the IGP employed four civilians in his office with the salary of the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) and engaged the services of a retired police officer to handle investigation as against the code and Act establishing the Police Force, adding that all investigative cases were supposed to be under the Deputy Inspector- General of Police, DIG in Area 10, Garki, Abuja and not a retired officer.
“There is a lot of favouritism in the promotion and appointment of Commissioners of Police. Junior Deputy Commissioners of Police are given Commissioner of Police on acting capacity as against seniority and merit, thereby blocking eligible candidates.
“A recent example is the present CP Lagos, who is a junior DCP to two other DCPs, but was given Acting CP and posted to Lagos.
“These acts of favouritism have eroded discipline in the force, which is the backbone of any successful organisation.
“The reason why they took him to Lagos was because he is a friend to the Governor of Lagos State because they were in school together or because they studied a course together.
“The IGP posted a Commissioner of Police who for the past 17 years has not worked or served in a police formation to take charge of a state.
“This officer, who was a former Police ADC to the late former Governor (Diepreye) Alamiesiegha and also served under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is now the Commissioner of Police, Adamawa State.”