FG Orders Probe Of Army, Navy, Air Force Payrolls

SERVICE-CHIEFSThe payrolls of the Army, Air Force and Navy are to undergo scrutiny by the Continuous Audit Team, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has disclosed.
Mrs. Adeosun said the move to scrutinize the payrolls of the Nigerian Armed Forces was in order to avoid diversion of monthly salaries of the personnel.
A statement issued Thursday by the press unit of the ministry signed by the Director, Information, Salisu Na’inna Dambatta, said the Continuous Audit Team was charged with the responsibility of scrutinizing the payrolls of the three services, which were yet to be put on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to block leakages.
The statement further disclosed that the investigation followed revelations in the course of the trial of a former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Air Marshal Alex Badeh, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, that successive Chiefs of Air Staff diverted N558.2m from allocations to the Force for payment of salaries and allowances of its personnel, into their private accounts.