A SaharaReporters review of the federal government’s public expenditure portal, Govspend, has revealed that a total of ₦149 million was paid into the personal account of retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Danladi Lalas, for the chartering of aircraft used by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.
The payments, disbursed in four separate tranches, were made in apparent violation of Nigeria’s fiscal regulations, which prohibit the transfer of public funds into personal accounts for official services.
According to data from the portal, on March 4, 2024, ₦17.2 million was paid into Lalas’ personal account to charter an aircraft for the IGP’s trips from Abuja to Anambra and Abuja to Bauchi.
On March 18, 2024, a further ₦14.9 million was disbursed for a similar charter service. Also, on August 6, 2024, ₦14 million was transferred for the IGP’s travel between Abuja and Lagos.
The largest tranche, ₦103.4 million, was paid on September 27, 2024, also into Lalas’ account, for aircraft charter services to convey the police chief from Abuja to various states.
Danladi Lalas oversaw the Nigerian Police Air Wing until his retirement. In December 2024, SaharaReporters reported how his refusal to step down after reaching retirement age sparked controversy within the police hierarchy.
It remains unclear why Nigerian police authorities chose to deposit millions of naira into Lalas’ personal account rather than paying the funds directly into the official account of the aircraft charter company.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Lalas had been the Head of the Airwing since 2018. Sources indicated that under his leadership, the number of serviceable aircraft declined from six to just one.
Chapter Seven, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations (2009) states: “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.”
A lawyer, Kehinde Awosusi, while speaking to SaharaReporters, emphasised that the law prohibits receiving government funds through personal accounts.
“Under no circumstances should a civil servant receive government money into a personal account, either government income or government expenditures. You can look at the case of Betta Edu and the issues that arose from it and the clear violations she was accused of committing. It is a clear affront on the position of the law,” he told SaharaReporters.
Earlier, SaharaReporters’ review of the public payments portal, Govspend, showed that the Nigerian Police spent a sum of N86 million on Christmas decorations for the Force Headquarters and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun’s residences in Lagos and Abuja.
According to the portal’s details, the payment was made under “Police Command and Formations” and was directed to Wysdum Integrated Services Limited. The project description read: “Payment for Supply of Comprehensive Christmas Decoration of Force Headquarters, Abuja, IGP residence Abuja and Lagos.”
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