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In an exclusive interview with WeekdaysSmartNews, the DPO revealed that Divisional Police Offices across the country are forced to operate on a meagre quarterly budget of just between N15,000 and N30,000.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has ordered an immediate investigation to identify those who exposed that divisional police offices are allocated peanuts to run their affairs and the endemic corruption plaguing the Nigeria Police Force.
A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) had blown the whistle on the corruption in the Force.
In an exclusive interview with WeekdaysSmartNews, the DPO revealed that Divisional Police Offices across the country are forced to operate on a meagre quarterly budget of just between N15,000 and N30,000.
This paltry funding, the DPO suggests, creates an environment where corruption can thrive. With insufficient resources, police officers may be tempted to engage in corrupt practices to make ends meet.
The DPO further disclosed that the majority of the police divisions run on zero allocation, noting that the affected divisions were not recognised by the Force Headquarters and therefore their running costs are not captured in the budget.
He asserted that it is practically impossible to eliminate corruption within the Force, adding that all police stations in the country were being sustained with proceeds of corruption.
However, Force spokesperson, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Friday, described the allegation as misleading and inaccurate.
According to him, there is no Divisional Police Officer of the Nigeria Police Force that would grant such an interview.
He claimed that the report is not only false but a calculated attempt to run down the system and discredit the police authority, adding that Divisional Headquarters receive no budgetary allocation and that officers rely solely on unofficial sources of funds for operations, including bail payments.
The police authority maintains that Divisional Police Officers receive statutory funding based on established allocations from the federal allocation coupled with support from their respective state governments.
The statement reads in part, “Contrary to the referred published report that Divisional Headquarters receive no budgetary allocation and that officers rely solely on unofficial sources of funds for operations, including bail payments, the Police Authority maintains that Divisional Police Officers receive statutory funding based on established allocations from the Federal allocation coupled with support from their respective State Governments.
“Any contrary assertion as contained in the publication is not only false but a calculated attempt to run down the system and discredit the police authority.
“Subsequent upon the highly misleading and scandalous publication, the Inspector General of Police has ordered an immediate investigation to identify those responsible for this deliberate misinformation.
“While we acknowledge that inadequate funding has long been a challenge for the police, the current government has demonstrated commitment to increasing funding to enhance operations and improve policing capabilities and overall effectiveness.
“The funding situation, in recent times, has begun to show notable improvement with promising prospects for further enhancement in the upcoming year.
“The Nigeria Police Force thereby reiterates its commitment to the principle of transparency in the course of discharging its duties and warns mischief makers to desist from attempts to detract and malign its progress, as the Force will not permit malicious individuals to continue to disparage the institution or slander its dedicated officers who toil day and night to secure our nation.”
Credit: SaharaReporters
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