EFCC Invites Keyamo on Police Equipment Fund

Hi Folks,
Is a new day and I am glad to be alive how about you?
Well this Police Eguipment Fund issue has refused to go away. There are a lot of questions begging for answers. The simple question I want answer to is, is it right for funds to be raised to equip the police and yet diverted to other groups excerpt the police?
Anyways Channels Television has the full gist on Keyamo and the EFCC invitiation. Enjoy


EFCC Summons Keyamo over Allegations of Missing Police Funds
Posted 8,Apr. 2008
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes commission, EFCC has summoned a Lagos based lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Festus Keyamu over allegations of corruption involving the Nigerian Police Equipment Fund.

The allegation of corruption on the Police Funds is a long and winding story with an intricate plot that raises a thousand and one questions, begging for answers.

Already so much has been written and said about the story, in the national dailies and electronic media, so much that some of the protagonists have found it very difficult to cope with the heat.

According to our Channels Television Political Correspondent, the story began sometime in 2004, and involves three men, Mr. Joseph Agharite, now late, Mr. Ibrahim Emmanuel Dumuje and Mr. Godson Ewulum who came together with an initiative to raise funds, ostensibly to help to equip a badly funded Nigeria Police.

Their plan was to partner with the Federal Government to actualise the goal, and had therefore gone on to sign this participation agreement on the June 15, 2004.

While their target was to raise 100 million naira, they had agreed to pursue the project and share equally among themselves, ten percent of whatever was eventually raised.

They had also agreed to use NIGERSTALG, a private company owned by Mr. Agharite, to pursue the project.

Sequel to the signing of the agreement, both Joseph Agharite and Ibrahim Dumuje had sent a proposal to the Inspector General of police at the time, Mr. Tafa Balogun, seeking to help raise 100million naira through public donation for the sole purpose of buying body armour for the police.

According to Mr. Ewulum series of correspondence were subsequently exchanged between the police and the parties who were by now operating under the name of NIGERSTALG.

Before much headway could be made with the proposal, the former Police boss, Mr. Tafa Balogun was removed as the Inspector General of Police, having been indicted by the EFCC, tried and later convicted by a law court for money laundering and missing police funds traced to his accounts.

This had affected the activities of the group for a while, until months later, when a brother-in-law of the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo came into the picture.

The introduction of Chief Kenny Martin was however became a major subject of controversy, according to Ewulum and Keyamo who spoke to Channels Television.

Working with Chief Martin, had caused a total alteration to the entire idea, as the proposed fund was jerked up to 100billion naira, while the items to be purchased were ammended to include body amour, helicopter and other essential equipment.

On July 7, 2005 still using NIGERSTALG, the group sent a fresh proposal to the Presidency through the then Minister of Police Affairs Mr. Broderick Bozimo, which was signed by Mr. Agharite, Chairman of NIGERSTALG.

Mr. Bozimo who also spoke to Channels Television confirmed sending a memo to the Chairman of NIGERSTALG on August the 26, 2005 to inform him that the proposal had been referred to the President and demanded more details about the proposed project.

Disaster however struck two months later, October 2005, when the sole Chairman and owner of NIGERSTALG, died in the ill-fated Bellview plane crash.

On November 10, 2005, just weeks after Agharite died, NIGERSTALG did a fresh memo to the Minister of Police Affairs seeking the establishment of a Presidential Committee to direct and administer the proposed 100 billion naira fund.

The memo provided the purpose for which the fund would be used and also spelt out the composition of the committee which included both government and a long list of eminent Nigerians including major players in the private sector.

The proposal was signed by Ibrahim Dumuje according to the former Minister of Police Affairs.

Former President Obasanjo late gave approval to the proposal through a memo addressed to the Minister of Police Affairs, which was dated December 3, 2005.

Following the President’s approval a memorandum of understanding was subsequently signed between the Federal Government and NIGERSTALG to guide the operation of the Presidential Committee on Police Equipment Fund.

The memorandum clearly identified items to be funded under the project, which included helicopters, vehicles and communication equipment armaments and other equipment for training, community policing and renovation of barracks.

Years after, nothing significant has changed for the police while there have remained accusations and counter accusations about the missing funds amounting to billions of naira.