A Chronicles Reporters investigation into the Nigerian federal government’s public spending portal, Govspend, has uncovered that a total sum of ₦149 million was deposited into the personal bank account of retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Danladi Lalas. The funds were reportedly for the chartering of flights used by the current Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.
The disbursements, split into four separate transactions, appear to flout existing public finance laws, which clearly prohibit the deposit of official funds into personal bank accounts for government-related services.
Data retrieved from the portal shows that on March 4, 2024, an amount of ₦17.2 million was transferred into Lalas’ account for the charter of a flight for the IGP’s official movement between Abuja and Anambra, as well as Abuja and Bauchi.
Two weeks later, on March 18, another payment amounting to ₦14.9 million was made, reportedly for a similar purpose. On August 6, 2024, the sum of ₦14 million followed for the IGP’s journey from Abuja to Lagos.
The most substantial transfer occurred on September 27, 2024, when a staggering ₦103.4 million was deposited into Lalas’ account to cover flight charter costs for trips spanning several states.
Before his retirement, Danladi Lalas was in charge of the Nigeria Police Air Wing. In December 2024, Chronicles Reporters (formerly SaharaReporters) had reported that Lalas’ reluctance to vacate his position after reaching the mandatory retirement age caused friction within the top ranks of the Nigeria Police Force.
The reason behind routing such large sums to Lalas’ personal bank account, instead of paying the aircraft charter provider directly, has not been publicly explained by police authorities.
Further background checks reveal that Lalas had served as Head of the Air Wing since 2018. Sources within the force noted a steady decline in serviceable aircraft under his leadership—from six aircraft down to only one.
Nigeria’s Financial Regulations of 2009, specifically Chapter 7, Section 713, explicitly states: “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.”
Speaking with Chronicles Reporters, legal practitioner Kehinde Awosusi stressed that the payment of public funds into private accounts stands against legal and ethical standards.
“No civil servant is allowed to receive public funds through a personal bank account, regardless of whether it’s revenue or expenditure,” he explained. “We’ve seen similar cases, like that of Betta Edu, where such transactions led to serious legal concerns and sanctions. This is a clear breach of existing laws.”
In a related development, Chronicles Reporters earlier revealed that the Nigerian Police spent ₦86 million on Christmas decorations for both the Force Headquarters and the IGP’s official residences in Abuja and Lagos.
Information on the Govspend portal showed that the transaction was listed under “Police Command and Formations,” and the funds were directed to Wysdum Integrated Services Limited. The purpose was stated as: “Payment for Supply of Comprehensive Christmas Decoration of Force Headquarters, Abuja, IGP residence Abuja and Lagos.”
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