The Auditor General of the Federation has uncovered financial and procurement irregularities amounting to N2.69bn within the Nigeria Police Force, according to the 2022 Auditor General Report on Non Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries Departments and Agencies.
The report revealed cases of abandoned projects, unapproved contract awards and questionable payments across several police departments at the Force Headquarters. It disclosed that 14 contracts worth N1.94bn listed as ongoing in the 2022 budget were abandoned, while new contracts not captured in the Appropriation Act were awarded and paid for without legislative approval.
In its response, police management explained that the affected projects were rolled over from 2017 under a zero based budgeting system but lacked funding from successive administrations. The Auditor General, however, recommended that the Inspector General of Police recover and remit the affected funds to the treasury.
Another major breach involved N111.6m paid for the construction of transit camps and renovation of an administrative block in Kaduna State, which auditors found unexecuted during inspection. Additional irregular payments were also flagged in the modification of the Inspector General Conference Room.
The report further queried full payment for a Police College project in Plateau State that was not executed, irregular settlement of old liabilities from a later budget year and improper engagement of a special assistant on revenue matters.
Other findings include poor asset management, undocumented disposal of obsolete firearms and loss of police operational animals without accountability. The Auditor General concluded that the Police Force violated financial regulations and procurement laws and urged immediate corrective action.
