Nigerian Senate disagrees with Nigeria Police Over award of Contracts

By Iyojo Ameh

The Nigerian Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised concerns over gross irregularities in contract awards by the Nigeria Police, amounting to over ₦1.13 billion, leading to a probe into procurement practices within the force.

The Nigerian Senate PAC is scrutinizing the police’s handling of ₦1,136,715,200 in contracts for security-related procurements. According to the Auditor General’s 2019 report, 10 contracts of identical value were awarded to a single proprietor operating under different company names—a violation of the Public Procurement Act.

The same phone numbers and email addresses were used across three different companies awarded the contracts. The companies failed to disclose their relationships, violating procurement transparency regulations.

The Nigeria Police management did not respond to the Auditor General’s queries on the matter.

The audit office recommended that the IGP account for the full amount, refund the sum to the national treasury, and provide proof of remittance to the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee.

In their defense, the Police argued that the contracts involved security-sensitive items and that only pre-vetted companies with a record of supplying high-quality armaments were allowed to participate in the procurement process. He cited Section 115 of the Procurement Act 2007, which exempts security-related procurements from public advertisement due to national security concerns.

However, lawmakers were not convinced. Some senators insisted that due process was flouted, as the same contractor disguised as multiple companies won all the contracts. They stressed that:

“The procurement process lacked transparency and no due diligence was followed “, the committee chairman said.

According to the senate, there was no justification for the exclusion of other qualified bidders.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole stated that, “even if you confirmed that it’s the same person using multiple company names. This is not about opinion, but about the law.”

Despite the heated session, some lawmakers acknowledged the IGP’s cooperation, a rare occurrence in similar investigations. A motion was moved to vacate the ₦1.13 billion query, on the condition that the police implement stricter procurement guidelines going forward. The motion was passed.

However, the Senate PAC escalated another probe involving ₦924,985,000 allegedly paid for contracts not executed. According to the Financial Regulations, payments must not be made for undelivered goods or services. The committee demanded that the police provide full documentation proving compliance, or face further actions.

The committee further gave the police a limited time to submit all relevant procurement records, warning that further non-compliance could lead to sanctions.

While the police leadership has pledged reforms, the committee maintains that law enforcement agencies must uphold due process to serve as an example of accountability.