A fresh wave of controversy is trailing the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, following allegations that he sidestepped procurement regulations to facilitate a N6 billion uniform supply deal.
Insiders close to the development say the IGP partitioned the massive contract into 66 smaller ones and handed them all to a single company with personal ties, in a move some describe as a calculated attempt to sidestep Nigeria’s procurement law.
Sources told reporters that the funds, originally earmarked under the police’s operational budget, were redirected into what has been described as a private and irregular procurement arrangement. “As IGP, his approval threshold is N100 million. Any amount above that requires ministerial approval, and anything exceeding N500 million must be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC),” a source revealed.
To dodge these procedural thresholds, Egbetokun allegedly adopted a prohibited tactic known as contract splitting, breaking the deal into several subcontracts, all assigned to the same company. Payments were reportedly initiated in phases to avoid drawing scrutiny.
When the IGP first moved to authorize a disbursement of N2 billion, the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) reportedly raised objections. The director reminded the police chief of the legal limits to his approving power. “As IGP, his approval threshold is N100 million. Any amount above that requires ministerial approval, and anything exceeding N500 million must be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC),” one source explained, adding that the company is linked to Egbetokun.
Despite the warning, Egbetokun allegedly dismissed the concerns and instructed the immediate release of the funds.
Official documents now in circulation show that all 66 contracts were awarded to Crown Natures Nigeria Plc, a company reportedly owned by Adedokun Olarotimi Aromolaran and Omolara Olufunke, both listed as company directors. Further analysis reveals that each individual contract was valued between N45.7 million and N99.3 million, carefully keeping each amount below the IGP’s approval ceiling.
One internal memo, authored by Assistant Inspector General Adepoju A. Ilori (PAB), confirms that the contractor applied for payments based on the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007. However, findings suggest that the actual execution of the deal contradicted the spirit and letter of that law.
On December 6, 2024, the police made 15 separate payments to Crown Natures Nigeria Plc under the guise of supplying uniforms, totaling N989 million in just one day. Items reportedly supplied include tens of thousands of meters of olive green and black John Cross uniform materials, distributed to commands in the southwest, north-central, northwest, and Kaduna.
A memo dated April 2, 2024, shows AIG Ilori instructing the DFA to move forward with the payments after referencing a prior approval.
The memo, titled “RE: Payment Of N2,000,000,000.00 Τo Crown Natures Nigeria Plc Observation And Request For Authorization To Process For Payment,” refers to “Inspector-General of Police’s approval on memo No. CH: 3900/PB/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.7/37 dated 19th March 19, 2024 and your letter dated 28th March, 2024 on the above underlined subject matter.”
Ilori urged the swift processing of the payment to ensure the timely delivery of the uniforms. “Expedite action on the payment process as approved by the Inspector-General of Police to enable the contractor/manufacturer of the customized police uniform for operational and regular use early delivery of the items.”
Critics say the move undermines transparency and raises red flags over possible misuse of public funds, especially given the absence of competitive bidding and the deliberate evasion of procurement checks.
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