The Nigerian police has said the helicopters on the fleet of the Nigeria Police Force’s Air-wing don’t run commercial or chartered shuttle services.
According to a statement by Jimoh Moshood, the Force Public Relations Officer, “The Force’s Police Air-wing did not carry out any chartered shuttle for a paltry 30,000dollars and is not aware of the cost of charter for which commercial operators charge 105,000dollars”.
“The Force wishes to categorically state that the helicopters on the fleet of the Nigeria Police Force Air-wing don’t run commercial or chartered shuttle services as claimed by the writer of the story. Police helicopters are deployed on regular basis for operational purposes and to aid other security and safety agencies in their operations and other activities in line with inter-agency cooperation and collaboration. There was no time the Police helicopters were deployed for hire and reward or for charter.
“To educate the writer and set the record straight, only one Police Bell helicopter 412 was deployed to Gombe, Gombe State on the 29th October, 2018 to fly the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Training and Development representing the Inspector General of Police at the ground breaking and foundation laying ceremony of Nigeria Army University at Biu, Borno State.
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“The Police Bell helicopter 412 flew the DIG, Department of Training and Development and some Senior Military Officers from Gombe, Gombe State to Biu, Borno State and back on 30th October, 2018 without any payment from the Military or any other party,” Moshood stated.
He said the Police Bell 412 helicopter flights on the date of the occasion was purely for the Inspector General of Police to be represented at the event while the IGP was attending a State function in Kaduna, Kaduna State, adding that other Military Officers flown to and back from the event was purely on inter-agency collaboration and cooperation.
“It is imperative to correct the wrong impression that must have been created by the misleading report and the misinformation in the minds of the public most especially those who must have read the story, that the Force’s Police Air-wing did not carry out any chartered shuttle for a paltry 30,000 dollars and is not aware of the cost of charter for which commercial operators charge 105,000 dollars,” he added.
IFEOMA OKEKE
