Ibrahim Idris, Nigeria’s inspector-general of police, has admitted approving two vehicles to Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari for use by “police personnel in her convoy”.
Idris made the clarification in response to Senator Isah Misau’s allegation that he gave the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari two sports utility vehicles (SUVs) as a bribe to help him cover up his age manipulation.
While addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, October 26, 2017, Jimoh Ibrahim, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force denied the allegation.
Moshood also denied the lawmaker’s further allegation, that Idris had manipulated his retirement age.
The FPRO, while describing the allegations as “misleading” and “unfounded”, maintained that “the Inspector General of Police is empowered by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and the Police Act and Regulations, precisely Section 215 (1)(a&b) and (2)”, which he said provide that, “the Nigeria Police Force shall be under the command of the Inspector General Police“ and the Deployment and Control of the entire Operations of the Force including allocation of Police vehicles for operational use throughout the country shall be under the purview of the IGP”.
The force’s spokesperson listed a Toyota Sienna Bus and a Toyota Hiace Bus, as vehicles approved for police personnel in the convoy of Buhari.
He reiterated the fact that the vehicles carries police number plates.
“The Nigeria Police Force categorically wishes to state that all the allegations made by Misau against the Inspector General of Police and the Wife of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria of buying two (2) Jeeps for the Wife of the Presidents as reported in some media are baseless, untrue and done in bad faith to misinform and mislead the Public.
“Members of the Public are hereby strongly enjoined to discountenance and disregard the report in its entirety”,
Moshood said.
On the alleged altering of retirement age, the FPRO said Idris caused a letter to be written to the Police Service Commission (PSC), upon discovering an error on the Staff list of senior police officers.
He said the IGP’s date of birth read 3/01/1959 instead of 15/1/1959. The said letter, which was addressed to the PSC’s Chairman, Sir Mike Okiro, and signed by AIG Abdul Bube (Force Secretary), was cited by New Telegraph newspaper.
