Conference organiser denies misusing police event budget

Lenders Consult International Limited has vehemently denied claims that it misappropriated funds meant for the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, asserting that neither the company nor its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Shina Philips, received or mismanaged any funds connected to the programme.

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The company issued a statement on Monday, describing the allegations as baseless and misleading, while emphasizing that it had never received funds from the Nigeria Police Force for the organisation of the conference.

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According to the firm, the conference and retreat were conceived as a private initiative aimed at supporting capacity building and professional development within the police, bringing together senior officers from the rank of Commissioner of Police and above to engage in peer review and exchange ideas on policing strategies and contemporary security challenges.

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The firm explained that it proposed the initiative to the police authorities and undertook the responsibility of approaching potential sponsors to fund the programme, with the arrangement being well received and approved from the outset and in place since 2019.

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As part of its proposal, Lenders Consult International included an obligation to approach potential sponsors to fund the retreat, which was accepted by the police authorities, with the company noting that this arrangement has been in place since 2019.

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The maiden edition of the conference was held in Lagos in 2019, with the Lagos State Government serving as host sponsor, and was declared open by late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented at the time by then Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

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Subsequent editions of the conference and retreat were held in Uyo in February 2022 and later in Owerri between 2022 and 2024, before the 2025 edition took place in Abeokuta, with the firm emphasizing that the programme has been sustained through sponsorship arrangements and the company’s support.

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The company maintained that the police had never provided funding for the event, stating that it has never received any money by way of funding from the Nigeria Police for the sponsorship of the event.

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Lenders Consult International also denied allegations that its officials shared funds with any past or serving police chief, reiterating that the company, its MD/CEO, and any member of its staff have at no time received any money from the Nigeria Police, nor have they ever shared any purported funds with any past Inspector-General of Police or any officer of the force.

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The firm highlighted the significance of the annual conference, which has contributed significantly to reforms and institutional development within the Nigeria Police Force, including the establishment of the Police Institute in Abuja as one of the outcomes of the retreat.

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Lenders Consult International also proposed the Nigeria Police Awards and Commendations as a platform to recognise and motivate outstanding officers within the force, with two editions of the awards being held in Abuja in 2024 and 2025, and fully sponsored by the company and its partners.

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The statement also shed light on the professional background of its Managing Director, Dr. Shina Philips, describing him as a FIFA-licensed football agent who has handled the transfer of several Nigerian footballers, and who was appointed a consultant to the police in 2020.

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Philips was tasked with coordinating activities for Police Week 2020, which was later cancelled following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the firm noting that he has continued to support police initiatives without receiving payment, including personally funding some official trips he undertook alongside the immediate past Inspector-General of Police.