SERAP seeks probe of spendings on police colleges

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission to look into  the management and spending of budgets meant for police colleges and the  welfare of trainees.
This came as human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), commended the report by Channels Television exposing the “dehumanising” condition at the Police College,  Ikeja, Lagos.
Falana, in a statement on Sunday, added that President Goodluck Jonathan’s questioning of how the television’s reporter was able to gain access and record the “mess” in the college as unwarranted.
In a petition dated January 18 and addressed  to the ICPC Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta, SERAP called for a probe into the management of the budget for the colleges to put a stop to mismanagement of funds in that sector.
The petition, signed by its Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, stated that the ICPC should urgently  start  the investigation “in order to establish whether such budgets have been spent as allocated or simply stolen, misused or mismanaged, and to ensure that any suspected perpetrators are brought to justice”.
Mumuni attributed the inability  of the police to adequately  police the country to “the poor, dehumanising, and deteriorating state of the Police College,  Ikeja and other police colleges in the country”.
The petition read in part, “The ICPC  should fully and transparently investigate the management and spending of the budgets for police colleges for the past 10 years, and to establish the use to which the budgets have been put.
“The commission should make public the findings of its investigation.”
Falana said policemen  trained under the conditions of the  police colleges would not work for the interest of the country
He also  warned the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, against to punishing  officials of the Ikeja Police College over the Channels Telelvision’s report.
“In questioning how the Channels Television was able to gain entrance and record the mess in the college,  the President must have forgotten that the era of secrecy in government has gone with the Freedom of Information Act enacted last year by the National Assembly.
“It is hoped that the AGF will make it abundantly clear to the Federal Government that the officials of the Ikeja Police College cannot be sanctioned or punished for the report credited to the Channels Television in the circumstance.”