I expected that by now, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPCP) would have attempted a last minute salvation of their battered image by commencing immediate and diligent investigation into the latest petition by a staff member of the PSC on allegation of corruption against Mr. Mike Okiro, former Inspector General of Police and current Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC).
I also think that the petitioner, Mr. Aaron Kaase, whose life is said to be under threat as a result of his patriotic whistle blowing role, needs to be provided security protection by the IG – if he applies for same.
I believe that Mr. Mike Okiro ought to be on suspension, at the least, while the widely reported fraud allegation against him is investigated and determined.
For those who have not read details of the allegation, please see: http://newsdiaryonline.com/2015-election-scam-police-commission-staff-fingers-ex-ig-okiro-in-n275-million-fraud/
The alleged fraud, Re: ‘2015 Election Scam: Police Commission Staff Fingers Ex IG Okiro in N275 Million Fraud’ was exposed by Mr. Aaron Kaase, a Principal Administrative Officer (Press and Public Relations ) of the PSC.
While his petitions against Okiro are currently pending before the EFCC and the ICPC, I feel concerned by information from sources at the PSC that the petitioner has been suspended by the Board of the PSC headed by the self-same Chairman whose alleged corrupt act he exposed and that his life is under threat on account of this.
I had expected that President Jonathan, who appointed Okiro against all credible objections, would, in his last-minutes-in-office sack frenzy, have also suspended or sacked Okiro while the relevant anti graft agency takes him in for interrogation.
Instead, the petitioner is the one being victimised with purported suspension by the accused and his life put under threat.
Recall that when President Jonathan, in May 2013, nominated Okiro for appointment as Chairman of the PSC and forwarded his name to the Senate for confirmation, NOPRIN had sent a report to the Senate urging it to decline confirmation of Okiro, arguing that he was unfit and unsuitable to be appointed as the Chairman of the Police Service Commission.
NOPRIN highlighted and explained four very substantial grounds of objection to Mr. Okiro’s nomination, namely:
1. The need to secure the role of the Commission as civilian credible and effective oversight mechanism
2. Mr. Okiro’s role in popularising extrajudicial executions in Nigeria, an institutional illegality that has become a driver for internal extremism in Nigeria
3. Mr. Okiro’s clear and irredeemable integrity deficits; and
4. As a person, Mr. Okiro’s partisan interests fail to comply with the Provisions of the Constitution regarding appointment as Chair of PSC.
The Senate in its characteristic display of lack of principles and integrity, and induced by sheer lucre, defied reason and went ahead to confirm Okiro.
Okiro, in a show of temerity, filed what we believe is a frivolous 1 billion naira libel suit against NOPRIN claiming that the network had defamed his questionable character, a claim we consider as laughable. After failed subtle prodding to get NOPRIN to ‘settle out of court’, his lawyers filed a Motion for Joinder to join Leadership Newspaper, Nation and Sahara Reporters in the suit as Co-defendants. The case is approaching the conference stage and NOPRIN is more than ever determined to follow through on this case.
> The latest scandalous revelation of how Okiro ‘may have used the 2015 general elections as a cover to defraud the government and that ‘he allegedly swindled
