‘Fictitious, Spurious Allegations’: PCRC Defends IGP Egbetokun, FPRO

Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja

The National Working Committee of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), has exonerated the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and force spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi against alleged arbitrary use of power to shield corrupt elements within the leadership of PCRC.
An online news portal had last week published a story titled “Exposed: How Nigeria Police Force is Covering up Corruption, abuse of Office Allegations in the Police Community Relations Committee”.

The medium further noted the force under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, has continued to aid and abet Alhaji Mogaji Ibrahim Olaniyan, the PCRC National Chairman, despite various attempts to eradicate corruption in the Police Community Relation Committee (PCRC).
Alhaji Olaniyan, alongside some top executive members of the Police Community Relations Committee, the report alleged, misappropriated a total sum of sixty million, three hundred and twenty-five thousand naira (N60,325,000.00), and three hundred dollars ($300) being funds realized from registration of members and issuance of identity cards, among other events.

The story stated: “Among the misappropriated funds were twenty-nine million, six hundred and seventy-seven thousand, five hundred naira (N29,677,500) which was realized from registration of 3,957 members of PCRC for identity card (ID card), and the sum of twelve million, seven hundred and forty thousand naira (N12,740,000) which was generated through election conducted in 14 states of the federation, and the sum of three million naira (N3,000,000 ) collected for a capacity building program in Brono/Yobe States among many others, which were yet to be accounted for.”
The petitioner, Princess Dahiru Nana Ngozi, the National Welfare Secretary for PCRC, averred that her petition dated July 21, 2023, and addressed to the Inspector General of Police, lent credence to her current allegations.

The petition was filed against Alhaji Mogaji Ibrahim Olaniyan, PCRC Chairman, Amb. Mary Samuel, PCRC Deputy National Secretary, and Hon. Maina Digma Gana, PCRC National Treasurer, by Omeiza Ibrahim & Co on behalf of Princess Dahiru Nana Ngozi, the National Welfare Secretary for PCRC.
Princess Dahiru further alleged that the chairman in a bid to legalize his nefarious acts has in a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the PCRC completely expunged Article 24 of the existing constitution and also attempted to smuggle in a provision in Article 1(1:3) in the proposed amendment by usurping the powers of the national executive committee and vesting same on the national chairman.

But in a swift reaction to the weighty allegations, the PCRC in a statement signed by Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Muhammed Sale, asserted that the allegation was not only spurious and fictitious, but frivolous claims by a disgruntled elements of stagnation, retrogression and bitterness.
According to him, “This disgruntled element usually derive joy in defaming people’s character just as proven by her deliberate act of dragging the highly referred offices and personalities of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and the Force PRO/National Permanent Secretary of the PCRC, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

“Under the current NWC, the PCRC has made giant strides including the recovery of our national secretariat site in Jabi FCT Abuja which was almost lost to highly sophisticated conspiracy from both enemies within and outside the PCRC who have concluded plans to sell the land for almost a billion Naira.
“We are now getting to understand why a national chairman who bluntly refused an inducement of over two hundred million Naira (N200,000,000.00), is now being baselessly accused of misappropriating fabricated figures by an enemy within.

“It is now also clear to us why this disgruntled element has failed to identify with the Nigeria Police Force or the PCRC during many recent challenges and record-breaking achievements such as the #Endbadgovernance protest to mention a few, despite still holding on to her position as the National Welfare Secretary.
“But she was quick to hypocritically talk about repair of police barracks in her sponsored online publication when indeed, all she’s desperately thirsts for is total control of the national chairman to fulfill her personal ambitions and highly dangerous motives in the PCRC by retaining the office of the National Women Committee Coordinator which up till date, she has yet to congratulate the new appointee”.

Comrade Sale said that after several attempts to stop the unprecedented progress being recorded in the PCRC under the current NWC led by the national chairman, Alhaji Mogaji Ibrahim Olaniyan for selfish and other demonic motives, “this disgruntled element who has apologized severally for her unbecoming conducts at different occasions both within and outside the PCRC with verifiable records can only be described as a sworn enemy of progress who will stop at nothing but to continue to drag her bitter self and not the PCRC in the mud.”

The statement read: “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) has been drawn to a sponsored publication online with fictitious and frivolous claims by a disgruntled element who has continued to constitute and conduct herself with a very few minority in the NWC and as a matter of fact; with just two out of a 25 member NWC as elements of stagnation, retrogression and bitterness because she was not granted her desired wish of becoming the Coordinator of the PCRC National Women Committee at over 70 years of age”.

Sale added that it is on record that she has on several occasions tried to divide the NWC but failed woefully for reasons they now suspect has an ethnic and political undertones.