Law permits police to collect money for private engagements – Okiro

The Chairman, Police Service Commission, Dr. Mike Okiro, has
said that the law permitted the Nigeria Police Force to collect
money from corporate organisations and private individuals for
private engagements.

Okiro stated that one-third of such monies should be given to
the police officers involved in the private duties as allowances
while the rest would be kept by the force.

The commission chairman said this on a television programme,
Political Platform monitored by our correspondent on Thursday in
Abuja.

He however did not specify the section of the Police Act that
provided for this.

“The police regulation, the Police Act are very clear on it; We
have what we called private engagement, when you give policemen for
private duties, a certain amount is normally paid of which
one-third is kept by the police, two-third is paid to the police
reward fund, it’s there in the law. The one-third is paid to
policemen who performed the duty as allowances,” the former
Inspector-General of Police stated.

Asked if he was worried about the allegations of corruption
against the force made by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy,
Isah Misau, the police boss said he was concerned about it, but
added that he did not know if it was true.

When asked if he was worried enough to investigate it, Okiro
retorted that this was not part of his mandate as the commission
chairman.

He said, “If it is true, it is really bad, if it is false, it is
equally bad. During my tenure, we didn’t have this special
protection unit and people were not paying, police are not a
revenue generating body, we are there to protect people at the
expense of government, not to generate funds.”

Okiro said his agency issued a retirement letter to Misau, but
noted that he was not sure about the one being paraded by the
senator.

“What I don’t know is whether the letter with him is the same
one we issued because we have not seen the one he is holding, but
our record shows that we issued to him a letter of retirement dated
March 5, 2014; whether the one he is parading is genuine or not, we
do not know,” he said.

The police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, however, disagreed with the
commission stance on Misau’s letter, saying it did not emanate from
the police.

He argued that the ex-DSP did not retire but resigned from the
force to escape disciplinary action for alleged misconduct.

Moshood explained that the police dug deep into Misau’s record
and found that he had changed his date of birth on at least three
occasions.

He said, “We are investigating deeply all his antecedents; When
he joined the police, he had a birth certificate, which he filled
with his handwriting, with November 30, 1974 as his date of birth.
He swore to another affidavit in 2011 and put his date of birth as
November 30, 1973, lying under oath.

“No matter the statement issued by the commission, to us, ex-DSP
Hamma remains a deserter and he must return to the force to face
disciplinary action.”

The Chairman, Police Service Commission, Dr. Mike Okiro, has
said that the law permitted the Nigeria Police Force to collect
money from corporate organisations and private individuals for
private engagements.

Okiro stated that one-third of such monies should be given to
the police officers involved in the private duties as allowances
while the rest would be kept by the force.

The commission chairman said this on a television programme,
Political Platform monitored by our correspondent on Thursday in
Abuja.

He however did not specify the section of the Police Act that
provided for this.

“The police regulation, the Police Act are very clear on it; We
have what we called private engagement, when you give policemen for
private duties, a certain amount is normally paid of which
one-third is kept by the police, two-third is paid to the police
reward fund, it’s there in the law. The one-third is paid to
policemen who performed the duty as allowances,” the former
Inspector-General of Police stated.

Asked if he was worried about the allegations of corruption
against the force made by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy,
Isah Misau, the police boss said he was concerned about it, but
added that he did not know if it was true.

When asked if he was worried enough to investigate it, Okiro
retorted that this was not part of his mandate as the commission
chairman.

He said, “If it is true, it is really bad, if it is false, it is
equally bad. During my tenure, we didn’t have this special
protection unit and people were not paying, police are not a
revenue generating body, we are there to protect people at the
expense of government, not to generate funds.”

Okiro said his agency issued a retirement letter to Misau, but
noted that he was not sure about the one being paraded by the
senator.

“What I don’t know is whether the letter with him is the same
one we issued because we have not seen the one he is holding, but
our record shows that we issued to him a letter of retirement dated
March 5, 2014; whether the one he is parading is genuine or not, we
do not know,” he said.

The police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, however, disagreed with the
commission stance on Misau’s letter, saying it did not emanate from
the police.

He argued that the ex-DSP did not retire but resigned from the
force to escape disciplinary action for alleged misconduct.

Moshood explained that the police dug deep into Misau’s record
and found that he had changed his date of birth on at least three
occasions.

He said, “We are investigating deeply all his antecedents; When
he joined the police, he had a birth certificate, which he filled
with his handwriting, with November 30, 1974 as his date of birth.
He swore to another affidavit in 2011 and put his date of birth as
November 30, 1973, lying under oath.

“No matter the statement issued by the commission, to us, ex-DSP
Hamma remains a deserter and he must return to the force to face
disciplinary action.”