Revealed: Ex-IGP Okiro In N275 Million Election Fund Fraud

Posted by African Examiner Exclusive Reports, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Saturday, May 23rd, 2015

By Ayo Balogun – A staff of the of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Mr Aaron Kaase has opened a can of worm on the Ex-Inspector General Of Police and the Chairman, Police Service Commission Mike Okiro alleging that he (Okiro) defrauded the nation to the tune of In N275 Million fraud during the just concluded 2015 general elections.

Former Nigeria’s IG Mike Okiro

Aaron Kaase, a Principal Admin Officer (Press and Public Relations Unit) of Police Service Commission in a petition sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and made available to African Examiner said the funds were collected from the office of the National Security Adviser.

He further alleged that the ex-IGP had lied that he wanted to use the funds, which was made available to him to train the staff of the commission to enable them monitor the conduct of the police during the election.

Parts of Kaase’s petition read:

“This petition is based on my findings and concerns as a citizen of Nigeria and a staff of the Police Service Commission, whose Civic responsibility amongst others includes fighting corruption in our society.

The facts are stated below for your investigation.

As a build up to the 2015 General elections, the Police Service Commission relying on provisions of its establishment Act, sought for and obtained the sum of N350, 000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Fifty Million) Naira only from the National Security Adviser(NSA), purportedly to train her staff in Monitoring the conduct of The Nigeria Police in the concluded General election.

With the funds in hands of the Commission as statutorily required, the Commission sought for approval to use same vide two letters to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) with Ref No. PSC: 1499/VOL/111/138 dated March 12 and received on March 19, 2015, the Commission requested for the issuance of “No objection” to adopt Selective Tendering Method for the training of Commission staff on Monitoring of Police conduct during the 2015 general elections.

In the said letters the Chairman of the Commission Sir Mike Okiro fraudulently and knowingly claimed that the training programme were in three (3) separate lots to be carried out in;
Abuja (for headquarter Staff) for 500 participants,
Kano (out station staff) 200 participants and
Lot (3) for 200 staff participants in Lagos.

The Chairman of the Commission quoted the prices for the training as follows:

I. Abuja (Abuja Staff) 500 participants

Awarded to Bobec & Associates at = N95, 525, 000.00 (N 95, 525,000 Million)

Kano Staff (200 participants)

Awarded to Direct knowledge Consult limited at – N95, 000,000 (N 95 Million)

III. Lagos Staff. 200 participants

Awarded to Tzone Communications Ltd at – N85, 000,000.00 (N 85 Million)

“It is however, a verifiable fact that the entire Police Service Commissions’

staff are not up to 400.

“ It is also a fact that the Commission has no office in Lagos and the entire

South West.

“It is also a fact that the Commission has less than 10 members of staff in Kano.

“It is a miracle that the Chairman would claim the Commission has almost a thousand staff.

I want to state here categorically that the Chairman of the Commission fraudulently deceived the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to obtain approval dated March 23, 2015 with reference No. BPP/S.l/SP/15/VOL.1 /050 to carry out the fraud.

To buttress my point that the Chairman deliberately set out to defraud government, he wrote to obtain approval for Selective Tendering, which the BPP in its letter referenced BPP/S.l/SP/15/vol.1 dated March 23, 2015, stated in its reply at no 4(d) thus:

‘That the Commission considered that due to the limited time frame available to which to utilize the funds till the elections, it became impracticable to embark on a competitive bidding exercise. The Bureau however, opines that this delay might have been deliberate, given that the Nigeria General Election is an every four (4) Year event which permits more than ample time to plan, prepare and perform all procurement procedures associated with the elections. Besides, the Bureau has carried out massive enlighten campaign vide radio jingles and Television broadcast urging the MDA’s to immediately set up procurement planning committees for their projects and programmes, the MDA’s were expected based on the need assessments to have commenced with the advertisement of their projects and programmes, but can only formalize the contract when the funds are released. This is in view of the fact that Section 16(6) of the PPA, 2007 clearly stipulates that

“all procurement shall be conducted based only on procurement plans supported by prior budgetary appropriations and no procurement proceedings shall be formalized until the procuring entity has ensured that funds are available to meet the obligation”

therefore the assertion by the Commission that it was impracticable to embark on competitive bidding due to the insufficient time before the 2015 election indicates a dilatory conduct on the part of the procuring entity’.

That Sir Okiro instead of public bidding by the Commission decided to award the contract to his girlfriend Chinasa, who owns Direct Knowledge Consult.
That instead of the four day approval granted by the Bureau of Public procurement, a mock training of 2 hours was conducted at Northgate Hotels Limited, Mararaba Nassarawa State, instead of Kano state.
That Bobec & Associates is a known friend of Mr. Okiro and a man that grounded the BEN House an agency of the Benue state government, who also claimed was going to conduct the exercise in Abuja, hurriedly put together 2 hours training in Oasis Hotel in Mararaba, Nassarawa state.
Okiro has failed to refund money granted for the other 3 days in his request letter.

That Mr. Okiro has severally collected money from the Police Service Commission under the pretext of travelling abroad for official duties without doing so.

An example was when he collected the sum of N3, 601,000.00; his Police orderly Insp. George Todonu collected the sum of N1, 131, 000. 60, to attend the conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police from 25^th – 28^th October, 2014 in Orlando, Florida U.S.A and the Nigeria Ireland International Forum which held in Dublin, Ireland on the 28^th of October, 2014 which held at the same time without attending none.

Mr. Okiro also collected the sum of N4.6 Million as first class ticket to travel to the U. S in 2013 without doing so.

You can cross check his International Passport to ascertain this and PSC account books.

That Mr. Okiro has been using 3 SAs and a P.A to defraud the government despite government circulars particularly the one with Ref. No. 59729/T.l/154 from the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation and signed by Amb. Babagana Kingibe dated 22^nd2007 titled:

PAYMENT OF DUTY ALLOWANCE AND ESTACODE ALLOWANCE TO PERSONAL ASSISTANTS TO POLITICAL APPOINTEES (CIRCULAR ATTACHED) HAS BEEN ABATED.

“Mr Okiro has been using his personal aides as front to collect DTA and other allowances namely Suprem Ibitomi and CSP Peter Opara and other S.As. He used them to collect a total of over N2 Million as DTA during the March 28 and April 12, 2015 General election in violation of the above quoted circulars. Mr. Ibitomi, one of the so-called S.A was paid through his account with FCMB, Federal Secretariat, phase 1 Abuja, monies which are gathered to return to Mr. Okiro.

That despite the circular above Mr Ibitomi who is dubbed as S.A media has been used by Mr. Okiro to make frivolous claims in the name of media settlements facts which are contained in the Commissions account books.”

Mr Kaase said he was ready to defend his allegation even as he stressed that he knew the ex-IGP will fight him to finish for blowing the whistle.

“That I know as a fact that the Chairman will viciously fight, as no one fights corruption and goes unscathed. I am ready to pay the supreme price if need be.

“I can assure you that the Commission has become a cesspool as a scratch will certainly unveil more.

“I am very much available for further information and to buttress my assertion with the required documents as I neither use a pseudo nor a fictitious name and will not rest till these people are brought to book.” Kaase added.

Several calls put across by our correspondent to Mr Okiro for his reactions to the allegations were not answered.