Nigeria Police Force faces ₦6.79bn fund scandal, SERAP urges Tinubu probe
The Socio‑Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) sent a letter dated 1 August 2026 to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to direct Attorney‑General Lateef Fagbemi, Inspector‑General Olatunji Disu and anti‑corruption agencies to investigate alleged diversion of more than ₦6.79 billion in public funds within the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs. The allegations stem from the Auditor‑General’s 2022 Annual Report published on 9 September 2025, which documented widespread financial irregularities – payments for projects that were never executed, abandoned contracts, inflated costs, unretired cash advances, unsettled insurance claims and payments for services not rendered. Notable examples include a reported ₦499.9 million payment for Phase II of a Police College in Bashar, Plateau State that was never built, and ₦1.9 billion paid for 14 police projects that were abandoned. The report also flagged the loss of 42 firearms and 737 rounds of ammunition from the FCT Police Command armoury, as well as unauthorised use and insecure storage of police exhibits. SERAP called for the prosecution of any contractors, companies or officials implicated, and demanded the recovery and proper accounting of all missing funds, firearms and ammunition. The group gave the government seven days to act, warning it would consider legal action if its demands are not met.
Entities: Auditor-General of the Federation · Auditor‑General of the Federation · Bola Tinubu · Lateef Fagbemi · Olatunji Disu · Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) · Socio‑Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] SERAP gave the government seven days to act on its demands or consider legal action (3fee8a15)
- [● 6 SOURCES] SERAP called for prosecution of contractors, companies and public officials implicated in the audit report (fa4217c7, 9955911f, e2944056, 7b102c95, 5c954f47, 3fee8a15)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The report documents a payment of ₦499.9 million for Phase II of a Police College in Bashar, Plateau State that was never executed (e2944056, 7b102c95, 5c954f47, 3fee8a15)
- [● 6 SOURCES] The allegations are based on the Auditor‑General’s 2022 Annual Report published on 9 September 2025 (fa4217c7, 9955911f, e2944056, 7b102c95, 5c954f47, 3fee8a15)
- [● 6 SOURCES] SERAP demanded recovery of all missing public funds, firearms and ammunition (fa4217c7, 9955911f, e2944056, 7b102c95, 5c954f47, 3fee8a15)
- [● 6 SOURCES] SERAP sent a letter dated 1 August 2026 to President Bola Tinubu urging investigation of alleged diversion of over ₦6.79 billion in public funds within the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Minstry (fa4217c7, 9955911f, e2944056, 7b102c95, 5c954f47, 3fee8a15)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The report notes that 42 firearms and 737 rounds of ammunition were missing from the FCT Police Command armoury (e2944056, 7b102c95, 5c954f47, 3fee8a15)