Isah Misau, senator representing Bauchi central, has alleged that commissioners of police pay between N10 million and N15 million to get favourable postings.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the lawmaker accused Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), of collecting bribes from police officers posted to oil companies and banks.
He was reacting to a statement credited to Jimoh Moshood, force public relations officer, who accused him of being on a vendetta against the force.
The senator said the money paid to the police authorities are not accounted for.
“While the police service commission could not deny the bribery allegation, information reaching me indicate that even transfers of commissioners of police, state mobile commanders and SPU commanders are also allegedly riddled with corruption,” Misau said.
“Some commissioners of police and state Mobile Commanders pay between N10 million to N15 million to get postings.
“There is also the allegation that more than 50,000 policemen are attached to oil companies, banks and private individuals with payments made to the police authorities. These people pay as much as N10bn monthly. They are however unaccounted for.
“Policemen are being attached to criminals who now go around blaring siren while doing all sorts of dubious activities.”
He said Idris and Mike Okiro, chairman of the police service commission, are not fit run the police and commission, respectively.
“The incumbent IGP, based on available records and series of petitions and reports from insiders, has no capacity to run the police just like the chairman of the police service commission, IGP Mike Okiro, who also lacks similar capacity.
“On nepotism, the IGP is scoring high marks by making almost half of the mobile commanders in the country, people of his Nupe extraction and on favouritism, appointing CP Moses Jitoboh an officer who had been out of field of operational service to that of political service for close to 20 years, as Adamawa state police commissioner.”
He also showed journalists a letter in which the police approved his retirement from the force after “10 years of meritorious service.”
But when contacted, the force public relations officer dismissed Misau’s assertions, accusing him of trying to cast aspersions on the IGP.
“All he is saying is lies, he is a habitual and unrepentant lair,” Moshood said.
The police spokesman said the letter the senator displayed that contained the approval of his retirement from the police was “forged.”
“The senate will do Nigeria good to tell him to come answer a disciplinary matter, some body like that should not be a senator of the federal republic of Nigeria,” he said.