An examination of official payment records from the Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a wave of massive disbursements authorized during the final weeks of Usman Alkali Baba’s tenure as Inspector-General of Police. Between May 10 and June 6, 2023—the period leading up to his transition out of office—billions of naira were funneled to specific vendors under questionable procurement conditions.
Foremost among the beneficiaries was Chukwuebuka Automobiles, which received a total of N4,874,055,115.75 through twelve distinct payments. Meanwhile, a fuel supplier identified as Xtreme Energy Limited was paid over N1 billion in a single day. These transactions occurred shortly before President Bola Tinubu retired Mr. Baba on June 19, 2023, replacing him with Kayode Egbetokun.
On May 12, 2023, the police force executed five payments to Chukwuebuka Automobiles. Each transaction was ostensibly for a package consisting of two Toyota Prado 2023 models and one turreted Toyota Hilux gun truck. Curiously, while the invoices for various police zones included these three vehicles, one specific voucher for the Force Headquarters in Abuja listed only a single Hilux gun truck yet commanded the same financial cost as the packages containing the two additional SUVs. Similar price patterns were observed with other contractors, such as Stargro Nigeria Limited and Assiamarz Nig Ltd, which received payments for nearly identical vehicle configurations on the same day.
The expenditure continued to escalate throughout May. Between May 18 and May 19, the force paid N1,288,589,763.96 for the procurement of twenty-five Hilux gun trucks. The spending reached a crescendo on June 6, 2023, just thirteen days before Mr. Baba’s departure, when the force authorized two separate payments totaling over N2.2 billion for fifty-two additional gun trucks designated for Force Headquarters in Abuja and the Lagos Annex.
Financial irregularities were equally prominent regarding fuel supplies. On May 10, 2023, Xtreme Energy Limited received N1,091,816,558.12 in a single day for the delivery of 640,000 litres of diesel and 600,000 litres of petrol. The documentation for these diesel supplies raised significant red flags; two vouchers were filed with identical descriptions for the North-West zone, leaving it unclear if the supply was billed twice or if duplicate deliveries occurred. Furthermore, the records lacked essential supporting documentation, such as delivery notes, store receipts, or signatures from receiving officers, which are mandatory requirements for certifying public fund disbursements.
These transactions appear to conflict with the Public Procurement Act of 2007, which mandates that procurements provide value for money and adhere to approved budgetary plans. Under the act, emergency procurement is restricted to strictly defined parameters, and current Financial Regulations necessitate verified proof of delivery before funds are released. Despite these legal safeguards, the records indicate that the payments were processed in full without evidence of the corresponding goods being received by the Nigeria Police Force.
Source: NaijaProbe