A fresh audit has revealed widespread contract fraud, abandoned projects, and questionable payments totaling N2,694,859,868.53 within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The findings are detailed in the recently released Auditor-General’s Annual Report on Non-Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses in MDAs for 2022, highlighting serious violations of procurement laws and financial regulations across multiple departments at the Force Headquarters.

According to the report:

• 14 contracts worth N1.93 billion listed as ongoing projects under the 2022 budget were abandoned. Instead of completing them, the NPF awarded new contracts not captured in the 2022 Appropriation Act, raising concerns of deliberate circumvention of due process. Auditors noted that these contracts lacked legislative approval yet were fully paid.
• Police management defended the projects as rollovers from 2017, citing poor funding and requesting new budget sub-heads to revive the abandoned works. The Auditor-General, however, insisted the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) must recover all affected funds and remit them to the government treasury.

Key audit discoveries include:

• Police Pre-retirement Skills Acquisition Centre, Kudan, Kaduna State: 79% of a N141 million contract for 12 one-bedroom en suite transit camps was paid in late 2022, but by March 2024, auditors found nothing had been constructed.
• IGP Conference Room modifications: Irregular payment of N4 million.
• Police College Phase II, Bashar, Plateau State: N499,875,500 paid for works that auditors say were never executed.
• 2020 liabilities: N112 million was paid using 2022 funds, violating financial rules.
• Senior Special Assistant to the IGP for revenue and tax matters: N6 million spent without due process.
• NPF Database Management Centre equipment: N10,080,000 procured through direct purchase, contrary to procurement guidelines.
• Other irregularities: A N12.9 million contract executed without clear documentation, unaccounted operational animals (including horses), and obsolete firearms stored at Force Headquarters without proper schedules or disposal plans.

The Auditor-General concluded that the NPF violated financial regulations, procurement laws, and proper documentation standards, warning that these issues will remain unresolved until all recommended corrective actions are implemented.