Lagos — Co-ordinator, Police Equipment Foundation (PEF), Chief Kenny Martins, has denied the allegation published in a newspaper over the weekend that the organisation raised N300 billion and mismanaged it in the last two years.

Addressing a press conference in his office in Abuja, Martins described the allegation as the handiwork of cheap blackmailers who wanted to give the organisation bad name for selfish reasons.

"Since the beginning of this organisation we have generated less than N10 billion of which we have spent four billion naira for the purchase of 800 vehicles, N1.2 billion earmarked fro housing project, N1 billion for procurement of helicopter for the police and N1 billion for body armoury. This organisation is owing now and they have not been able to finance their project for lack of fund. Where did we get the N300 billion they are accusing us of mismanaging. It beats my imagination that people can make baseless allegation against people for no just cause," he said.

Martins said the organisation has not received money from any international donour, governor, oil companies, and others as alleged.

He stated that they have been able to achieve some measure of success through the assistance and collaboration of some commercial banks in Nigeria that partner with them in financing some of these projects based on memorandum of understanding (MOU) that they would offset the loan in instalments.

"For one and half years, we have been battling with some cabals who have no other job than blackmailing because they have means of doing this and they see it as a means of livelihood. Their decision to rubbish the image of this organisation is because of our refusal accede to their selfish request of giving them the sum of N200 million," he said.

He said before the publication, a well-knonw lawyer had come to his office to negotiate for settlement for a case that was already in court against his client.

The PEF boss stressed that the lawyer's was dragged to court for his unrelenting efforts in blackmailing the management of Police Equipment Foundation and he lost the case in court and the court refused to grant his lawyer an interlocutory injunction. Martins alleged that the lawyer and his collaborators, as well as a crime journalist demanded the sum of N200 million as "settlement" from the management which they refused to oblige.

He stated further that before now, the lawyer had written petitions against the organisation to the President, Sultan of Sokoto, Federal Executive members, and Inspector General of Police, alleging corrupt practises against the management of the organisation.

"We will not bow to the lawyer's blackmail. If he is a professional blackmailer, he should not tamper with Police Foundation because we have nothing to hide. Everything we have done here is above the board. We have done our internal auditing and circulated to those who should know about it, our Board of Trustee members. We do not have any skeleton in our cupboard and we never have any because our major concern is to improve the security of lives and properties in Nigeria," Martins said.