Abuja, Nigeria — A review of Nigeria’s public expenditure records has revealed that the sum of ₦149 million was paid into the personal account of retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Danladi Lalas for aircraft charter services provided to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.

The data, sourced from the federal government’s expenditure transparency portal, GovSpend, indicates that the payments were made across four tranches in 2024, despite existing fiscal regulations that prohibit the payment of public funds into private accounts for official purposes.

Breakdown of Payments

According to the records:

  • On March 4, 2024, ₦17.2 million was paid to Lalas' personal account for chartering an aircraft for IGP trips between Abuja-Anambra and Abuja-Bauchi.

  • On March 18, 2024, another ₦14.9 million was disbursed for similar services.

  • On August 6, 2024, ₦14 million was transferred for IGP’s travel from Abuja to Lagos.

  • The largest single payment, ₦103.4 million, was made on September 27, 2024, also for charter services covering multiple states.

Regulatory Context

Nigeria’s Financial Regulations (2009), under Chapter Seven, Section 713, clearly stipulate:

“Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.”

Legal experts have expressed concerns that these transactions could potentially violate fiscal laws, drawing parallels with prior controversies over similar practices in public office.

Questions Over Process and Accountability

It is yet unclear why the police opted to route the payments through Lalas’ personal account rather than engaging aircraft charter firms directly.

Lalas, who headed the Nigeria Police Air Wing until his retirement, was previously reported to have faced criticism for refusing to vacate his position after retirement, amid concerns that the fleet of police aircraft dwindled under his tenure.

Commenting on the matter, legal practitioner Kehinde Awosusi said:

"Under no circumstances should a civil servant or retired official receive government money into a personal account, whether for income or expenditure. The law is clear on this."

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is yet to publicly comment on the nature of these payments or the reasons for the payment method.

Previous Spending Scrutiny

This report follows an earlier revelation by SaharaReporters that the NPF spent ₦86 million on Christmas decorations for the Force Headquarters and the Inspector General's residences in Lagos and Abuja in 2024.

Conclusion

These revelations have reignited debates around transparency, accountability, and the proper disbursement of public funds, especially within critical institutions like the police force.

As of the time of this publication, there has been no official statement from the Nigeria Police Force or government authorities addressing the circumstances of the payments.