N37 million was spent by the Nigeria Police to purchase 150 trained security dogs and their accessories this year out of the N50 million budgeted for it, Police Affairs Minister Ibrahim Lame said in Abuja yesterday. He said capital appropriation was given for the procurement of assorted dogs to resuscitate the police force’s Dogs Section.
He said contracts were awarded for 150 trained police dogs, 250 choke chains, 250 leashes, 200 grooming brushes, 200 grooming combs and 200 kennel collars, all of which were supplied.
The Minister spoke at the Annual Ministerial Press Briefing which is the first to be organised by the Ministry since it was demerged from the Ministry of Interior in 2008.
At the occasion, Lame justified the expenditure saying, “The Dog Section of the Nigeria Police which had proven to be effective in areas of crime detection, riot control and sniffing duties (for narcotics and hard drugs) at the airports between 1963-1984 witnessed a sharp decline and total collapse from 1985-1991. In fact by 1992, there was no single dog in the kennels of the Nigeria Police Force.”
It also emerged yesterday that the Police has spent more money buying bullet proof vests than on the procurement of arms and ammunition this year. He said N370million was spent on the purchase of bullet proof vests and ballistics and N267million to procure arms and ammunition.
Lame said the ministry has appropriated over N21billion representing 80% of its capital budget this year.
He also used the occasion to again deny that N3.5 billion meant for the pilot scheme of Strategic Crime Prevention and Control in seven cities was misappropriated. According to him, only N750m was released and it has since been committed to the project.
Police also spent N1.5bn on construction and rehabilitation of staff quarters, N300m to migrate from analogue communication to digital communication systems nationwide and N225m to procure riot control equipment, among others.
House of Representative Committee Chairman on Police Affairs Alhaji Abdul Ningi, who was at the event, said the inquiry of the House on the whereabouts of N3.5billion released to the Ministry of Police Affairs for Crime Prevention Programme for Seven cities was based on ensuring probity and accountability to the nation. The National Assembly had earlier invited Lame for questioning on how the Ministry spent the N3.5 billion earmarked for the programme.
“I and the Minister are brothers from the same State but that notwithstanding, I want to believe that Nigeria has grown beyond what we feel. My questions during the public hearing were aimed at ensuring that Nigerians who pay tax for services get back values to their tax. Thank God the Minister answered us and we were satisfied”, Ningi said.