The House of Representatives has ordered the Nigerian Police Force to disclose the whereabouts of the sum of $7.5 million, which is part of the N37.5 million recovered by the police in 2017 as proceeds of crimes.
The House panel gave the order on Tuesday and also demanded for details on a N360 million recovered as bribery proceeds from 26 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, who conducted the 2019 governorship election in Rivers State.
The lawmakers accused the police of lack of a recovery account to pay in proceeds of loots. They added that the attitude of the Police “gives the impression that police just pays tithes from recoveries.’’
Recall that the Police had, at an investigative hearing by an ad hoc Committee of the House scrutinizing the analysis and status of all regained loots, movable and immovable assets from 2002 to 2020 at the resumed hearing, 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 has refused to clarify to the panel, led by Adejoro Adeogun (APC-Ondo), how a document submitted before the committee allege that on March 10, 2017, different amounts of N4.198million, N26,714,224.195 and N3.85billion were lodged by the Police, but did not show in any account at the CBN.
The House Committee had condemned the representative of the Inspector General of Police, DIG D. O. Ogbunike and the lawmakers charged the police of a lack of recovery account to pay in proceeds of loots, with representative of the Accountant General corroborating same.