Top Delta Police Officers Fingered In Alleged Financial Scandal

Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Ibrahim

An officer in charge of Mechanised Salary Section, (MSS) of Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Gana Muhammed and the Auditor in charge of police pay office, Delta State Police Command, Asaba have landed in financial scandal running into millions of naira.

The police officers have been allegedly fingered in embezzlement of January salary of police men in the Delta State Police Command, BigPen Online can report.

BigPen Online reveal exclusively that the embattled officers have been petitioned to Police Service Commission as well as President Muhammadu Buhari by concerned officers who want their identity protected.

The petition entitled “Re: Conspiracy, Diversion And Embezzlement Of January 2018 Salary Of Policemen In Delta State By OC MSS Asaba And Auditor”, addressed to President Muhammadu which was obtained by one of our correspondents, alleged that their January salary have been squandered by the officers in charge of payment in connivance with officers of NPF Microfinance Bank in Onitsha, Anambra state.

The petition allegedly accused the Manager, NPF Microfinance Bank Onitsha, Dominic Ebudi of conniving with Mr. Muhammed and other officers in the command to divert and embezzled their January salary.

They regretted that all efforts and avenues explored to see that their January salary was paid to them have continually failed hence they decided to petition President Buhari.

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“Mr. President, we are constrained to appeal to you for urgent intervention through this open letter, to save us from oppressive conduct, hardship and ordeal we are currently faced with in the hands of the officer in charge of mechanized salary section and the auditor in charge of police pay office Asaba.

“Mr. President sir, it will amazed you that all policemen payroll by Mechanised Salary Section (MSS), Asaba through the NPF Microfinance Bank Onitsha and Asaba branches are yet to receive their January 2018 salary due to criminal acts of the officer in charge of Mechanised Salary Section, (MSS), CSP Gana Muhammed and the Auditor who have conspired among themselves and diverted the money meant for the salary.

“The money was lent out on high interest rate to businessmen who are yet or couldn’t return the money to the coffers of the bank for disbursement into various accounts of the affected policemen. This shady deal was carried out with active connivance of some staff of Sterling bank Asaba and NPF Microfinance Bank Onitsha.

“We are suffering and dying in silence, we want our January salary because it is our entitlement, we worked for it. We call on police service commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) to as a matter of importance sanction the officers and bank staff involved in this fraud.” the petition said.

Meanwhile, the Manager, NPF Microfinance Bank Onitsha, Dominic Ebudi, has denied any involvement in the alleged embezzlement of the January salary belonging to the policemen.

According to him, as a matter of fact, till date the bank did not received the January salary but only received February which was paid to the policemen while March salary has started trickling in.

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“We pay what we received and I can tell you that we got February and we have paid and March is already trickling in for payment. Ours is a medium, and as soon payments hit our portal, immediately we commence payment.

“We didn’t received January payment. Whether it was embezzled we can’t say please contact the MSS he is in better position to explain to you what happened.” Mr. Ebudi said.

The state Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Mustafa and the officer in charge of Mechanised Salary Section, (MSS), Chief Superintendent of Police, (CSP) Gana Muhammed, did not answer to all calls put to their mobile lines as at the time of filing in this report for publication.

Story by Julius Eras-Olabowu