Enugu Police deny pay-to-celebrate directive

Enugu State Police Command has dismissed as false a report alleging that its female personnel were ordered to pay specified amounts to fund the 70th Nigeria Women Police Anniversary celebration.

The allegation originated from a WhatsApp message circulated among police officers and later published by a media outlet, not Aproko Republic, claiming that both senior and junior female officers in the Command were directed to make compulsory payments.

But the Command said the claim was “baseless and without any iota of truth,” insisting that no such directive emanated from its leadership.

It stressed that the Nigeria Police Force maintains formal procedures for issuing official instructions, and the format and platform through which the message was shared made it clear it was not authorised.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police,  Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has ordered the State Intelligence Department to investigate the source of the message and identify those behind what the Command described as a malicious attempt to mislead the public.

He urged any officer who may have made payments based on the fake directive to report immediately and assist investigations.

The Command also appealed to the public to ignore the report and avoid amplifying misinformation.

Daniel Ndukwe, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, reiterated the assurance of a transparent inquiry and sanctions for those found culpable.