ROGUES OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH: IGP IDRIS FUNNELS BILLIONS OF NIGERIA’S MONEY TO PRIVATE PURSE THROUGH SPU

Secret Reporters

The corruption and rot in the Police system headed by the embattled Inspector general of police Mr. Idris since assuming office is drastically taking new turns with the IGP allegedly pocketing revenues generated from a special arm of the Nigeria Police, the Special Protection Unit (SPU)

The Police SPU which was created with the sole aim of protecting VIPs, Companies, Special Items and posting of orderlies for popular individuals in the country has been in existence since 2011 and comprises of more than one third of the strength of the Nigerian police.

Secret Reporters in this exclusive investigation obtained information on how the Inspector General of Police have been pocketing billions of Naira from revenues generated from SPU personnel posted as orderlies to top individuals for their protection. In 2011, owing to a directive establishing the SPU by the police so many personnel including those attached to government houses were absolved and mobilized into the SPU even without training, in a bid to generate funds. The first set comprised of 3000 SPU personnel with the number now more than one third of the strength in Nigeria Police. This is as a result of the fact that since the SPUs generate a lot of money, even if you need 10, 20 or 30 SPUs as long as you can pay they will be attached to you.

A police officer who claims anonymity also revealed to our reporters that, after the payment made by the individuals who request for special protection at the SPU office, they sometimes, at the end of the day gain nothing as the commanders also slash their pay and every other thing goes to the IGP. The worst he said, is that the IGP generates revenue through this and yet no single penny is remitted to the federal government.

“They divide the money into two and give us one part; we gain virtually nothing as we are meant to buy uniforms ourselves. The IGP should account for the monies generated through this since 2011 till date. The IGP have been sending police men out to die all in the name of protecting VIP while he pockets the money paid in by these VIPs, they pay very huge sums like N300,000 and above every month to the SPU offices and our commanders. That is why you see most police men attached to VIPs carrying bags for them because those VIPs spent so much money and therefore decide to use us as slaves, you dare not complain or refuse to comply to the sharing formula else our commander will withdraw you from the unit. SPU personnel die every day from ambushes, robbery attacks and attempted assassinations on these big men we protect with no compensation been paid to their families. Who manages the SPU account, is it under the TSA and how much have they generated within the space of 6 years? The IG should account for all these”.

During our investigation we discovered that the SPU which is monitored by the AIG SPU answers directly to the Inspector general of Police and posts officers at will to any individual with the right sum of money. Personnel in the unit collect as much as N50,000 a constable, and N75,000 for a corporal apart from their monthly salary, the money is then divided into two with half going to the officer attached to the VIPs and the rest going to the coffers of the IGP instead of the Police trust fund as it was supposed.

In a signal which was dispatched in connection to the sharing formula on the revenues generated by the SPUs which the senate is aware of, 50% goes to the personnel that did the job, 5% goes to the SPU commander, a certain percent goes to the Commissioner of Police, then the rest which is meant for the police trust fund gets pocketed by the IGP and some officers at the top with nothing going into the federation account.