Oyo NSCDC boss Augustine Padonu denies forcing officers to pay money for his birthday and promises a full investigation.
The head of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) in Oyo State, Commandant Augustine Padonu, has spoken out concerning serious allegations made against him.
Some officers working under him accused him of forcing them to contribute money from their monthly payments to sponsor his personal birthday party and a harvest event at his church in Badagry, Lagos State.
The boss of the security agency in Ibadan declared that he knew nothing about the money collection and never authorized anyone to collect funds on his behalf.
Trouble started when whistleblowers within the command leaked secret information showing that officers posted to different duty posts were being forced to give out five thousand naira each.
A message sent on WhatsApp listed fifty eighty officers who had paid a total of six hundred and sixteen thousand naira into a private bank account belonging to an officer named Adeeyo Oluremi Babatunde, who serves as the coordinator for officers on duty posts.
When questioned about the payment, Babatunde admitted to collecting the money but claimed it was a voluntary welfare contribution for his boss.
Babatunde stated, “So, if I’m coordinating people and I know what is right to do for my boss, so I need to tell them. And I seek their consent before I do it.” He added, “It’s not extortion, as they put it. It’s something that we do for us to grow in the course of the job.”
When news reporters contacted Commandant Padonu on Tuesday to hear his side of the story, he expressed total shock over the secret payments.
He stated clearly that he did not ask any officer to sponsor his life or bring money for his church. Defending himself during the phone conversation, Padonu said, “I never even ask any of my staff to be a party to anything I’m doing.”
He explained that he does not organize big parties for his birthday, saying, “My church service, nobody, not any officer, is there. The place is far, by the way. Anybody can do a thanksgiving, but I don’t call officers to be a party to, and my birthday, I don’t do birthday. I only prayed in my office with my staff in the office. So, that’s all.”
Because of the bad image this story could bring to the security agency, the commandant promised to look into the matter immediately to find out who ordered the collection.
Speaking on the involvement of his subordinate officer who collected the funds, Padonu said, “I will do an investigation on my own on that.”
He emphasized that officers must take responsibility for their personal actions, stating, “Anything a staff member is doing, your workers are doing in your name, that one is up to them to explain.”
During the discussion, one of the deputy commandants in the state command stepped in to defend the boss, arguing that the allegations were completely untrue and cooked up by angry officers.
The deputy commandant explained that recent postings and changes made within the command might have made some officers unhappy.
He said, “All those things that you saw, you read in the paper, they are not correct. I’m telling you this, I’m staking my life on it. They are not correct.”
He added, “Just recently, the Commandant changed all the component commanders, the divisional officers, area commanders, just to make sure that we prepare very well for the election. I think after that, this is what you are seeing. So, you can read between the lines.”
Commandant Padonu has maintained that a thorough internal inquiry will be carried out to get to the root of the matter and ensure that anyone caught using his name to collect illegal levies from officers faces proper administrative discipline.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
