If information at our
disposal is anything to go by, then the nation’s No. 1 cop who is charged to
sanitize the society of wrong doings might be swimming in a monumental fraud
capable of relieving him of his sensitive position. The Inspector General of
Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, National Enquirer
gathered exclusively would have to explain to the Police authority and the nation as a whole his involvement in what some policemen termed a forceful and illegal offer of private placement, a shady shares allotment enforced on police personnel.
The office of the Inspector
General of Police via his agents-Fokas Savings & Loans, we gathered exclusively
has allegedly raked in a whopping sum of N4.7 billion, being total monies
forcefully deducted from police salaries to buy shares without their consent.
Below is a bromide copy of the form circulated and enforced on them to be
filled and submitted. In total, N11, 000 was deducted in two installments from
about 370,000 police personnel across Nigeria.
This is not one of those
cock and bull stories, everyone has got a police friend or have one as a
neighbour, all you need do is sound them out, most especially the rank and
files (low cadre officers) whose money were deducted twice (N5,500 for two
months) without their knowledge, all in the name of buying shares. As you read
this, talks of this is spreading like wild fire in Police barracks even though
they have no such guts to revolt or protest, it is against the police act but
the opinion poll we gathered has it that, the newly wedded Police boss,
Mohammed Abubakar has been nicknamed as the most corrupt in the history of
Nigeria police.
Some
policemen in the state have actually raised an alarm over exactly what they
called, “arbitrary deductions from their salaries . They affirmed that the Mechanised Salary Section of the police made unsanctioned deductions of N5, 500 from their salaries
for the procurement of Fokas Savings and Loans Limited shares .“This is so ridiculous, how could this happen in a civil
society, how can my money be deducted without being properly briefed about the
shares am being forced to buy? For instance, how many shares will my money give
me? I don’t know, this IG is very dubious”, the angry policeman quipped.
Some
of the policemen that spoke to us pointed out that the plan was suspicious
due to the fact that they were not notified regarding it, prior to the salary deduction. They added that it was after the
very first deduction had been made that they were enlightened by their ogas at
the top that the cash would certainly be subtracted monthly until further
notice.
A
police inspector said, “Last month I received a text message from my bank
notifying me that my salary had been paid. However, I found out that N5, 500
had been deducted. It was a few days later that we were given forms and we were
then told that we had to buy shares compulsorily. And even as we speak, some of
us have not filled any form and our monies have been deducted, can they tell me
whose account those go to?
“How
could deductions have been made before I even filled the form? The police
authorities are leveraging on the fact that policemen cannot openly protest.
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, must be taking on, on this.”Another
policeman told us that the scheme was not well planned; saying some of them
close to retirement should be left out.
He
said, “I have been a policeman for 34 years and I am close to retirement.
People like me should have been left out this scheme. I am already a member of
the Nigeria Police Cooperative Multipurpose Society.
A
police corporal said, “N2, 000 was deducted from the salaries of senior police
officers while N1,000 was deducted from the rank and file as compulsory contribution
towards the World Police and Fire Games in which Nigerian policemen will
participate. Why can’t the Federal Government pay from its own purse”?, those
are words from boiling police officers.
National Enquirer's investigations revealed
that, the man behind the forceful shares sales is one Mr. Albert O. Owolabi -
B.Sc. (Hons) FCIB, FCA, ACS who’s the
Managing Director/CEO of Fokas Savings & Loans. Mr. Owolabi, according to
sources holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking & Finance from the Ogun
State University. He is a Chartered Accountant, a Chartered Banker and a
Chartered Stockbroker. He had a distinguished career with Union Bank of Nigeria
PLC from 1981-1991; Midas Merchant Bank Limited from 1/3/91-December,1992. He
worked as Senior Manager, Finance and Accounts at Ebun Industries Limited from
1/6/97-30/6/98. In July, 1998, he joined Rinslab Consultants as the Managing
Partner, a position he held before joining Fokas on November 12, 2001.
Mr. Owolabi, has extensive training
both locally and abroad. He is a Council member of Chartered Institute of
Bankers of Nigeria. He is also an Examiner to the Institute from 1990 to date.
In our fact finding mission,
National Enquirer got in touch with the publicist of the Inspector General of
Police, Mr. Mike Dada who had a meeting with us at the Ibis hotel, Toyin
Street, Ikeja, Lagos. The gentleman told us that, the scheme is meant to help
the suffering police personnel but when we challenged him why they were not
properly briefed and the reasons behind the sudden and illegal deductions, he
quickly rescinded his offer to speak on behalf of the police boss, “I think
what you should do is to talk to the Police PRO, Frank Mba who will be in a good
position to analyse the situation”, his words but efforts to reach The Police
PPRO on the mobile number given to us were futile as at the time of going to
press.
Jite Usman