Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has exonerated the Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Mike Okiro, from alleged fraud levelled against him. It however asked the PSC to remit a total balance of N133, 413,845.99 from the N350,000,000 2015 election monitoring exercise domiciled within FCMB to the federal treasury through the ICPC Recovery Account No. 1012929790 at Zenith Bank Plc.
The anti-graft agency also asked staff of the PSC who took part in the 2015 General Election Monitoring Exercise and were paid 2-way return ticket and Airport taxi to location within FCT and states of close proximity to Abuja amounting to N11,750,000 to refund same to the treasury through the ICPC recovery account No. 1012929790 at Zenith Bank Plc.
As stated by the ICPC, its “investigation has not revealed any act of criminal infraction against the person of Sir (Dr.) Mike lbama Okiro, the Chairman of the PSC as all issues outlined above are administrative in nature and within the ambits of career public servants handlings.”
The ICPC position was contained in a letter dated August 6, 2015, signed by its chairman, Ekpo Nta and addressed to Okiro.
It would be recalled that on May 25, a former staff of the protocol unit of the PSC, Aaron Kaase wrote a petition against Okiro, alleging abuse of office and fraudulent act to swindle the PSC to the tune of N275.525, 000.
The ICPC said that following the petition by Kaase, it conducted thorough investigation into the matter and found that "the PSC received the sum of N350m from the Federal Government to monitor the conduct of Police Personnel at the recently conducted General election.
"The Commission budgeted to expend the fund on training and physical monitoring during the election."
“Investigation revealed that the Commission budgeted for training of 900 staff and to conduct training in Abuja, Lagos and Kano. However, the entitled staff force was not more that 391 and that is the figure actually trained in a programme held in Abuja only. The Commission accepted the explanation that due process could not be adhered to strictly because of time constraint
“The PSC paid DTA to all staff including those based in Abuja that participated in the training programme held within Abuja. Air-Ticket and DTA were paid to Management staff and others who monitored elections within Abuja and its environs; even at locations were Airports do not exist such as Lokoja and Minna (schedule of affected officers attached).
“It was also confirmed that the Chairman collected 5 days each for two Conferences that ran simultaneously in Durblin and Orlando, Florida.
“However, it was discovered that he expended the entire 10 days on the trip. Though, he only expended the ticket-fare for Abuja-Durblin-Abuja, he has however, written to the Presidency to expend the ticket-fare for Abuja-Orlando-Abuja on another trip coming up by October, 2015.”