Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Oyo State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Augustine Padonu, has denied any knowledge of or involvement in the alleged extortion of personnel under his command, insisting that he never directed or authorised any deduction from the allowances of corps members to fund his birthday or support his church. Padonu, who spoke in a telephone interview with SaharaReporters on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, said he was unaware of the allegations until the report was published and promised to conduct his own investigation into the matter.
The denial follows an exclusive report by SaharaReporters detailing allegations by serving officers of the Oyo State Command that Padonu had institutionalised a culture of forced contributions, with officers taxed between N1,000 and N50,000 depending on their beat's perceived affluence. Whistleblowers alleged that the extortions were disguised as mandatory contributions for the commandant's personal birthday celebrations and annual church harvest at his white garment church in Badagry, Lagos State.
According to the serving officers who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, the scheme was conducted through a designated "Beat Coordinator," Superintendent of Corps Adeeyo Oluremi Babatunde, popularly known as "The Machinery." Documents obtained by SaharaReporters, including WhatsApp messages from a platform created by the Beat Coordinator, showed a contribution list with the names of 58 officers and their respective contributions, totalling N616,000. The contributions, paid into a PalmPay account registered to Adeeyo Oluremi, ranged from N1,000 to N50,000, with beat locations such as Aklad, Pan Africa, Begonia Oyo, Carlton Gate, IBEDC, and mining sites across Oyo State.
The list revealed that SC Adeeyo himself contributed N10,000, while the highest single contribution of N50,000 came from SC Idowu Olugbenga of Grayfield Mining. Several officers contributed N20,000 and N30,000, while others, particularly those in less lucrative beats, were recorded to have contributed N1,000. A WhatsApp message attributed to SC Adeeyo instructed beat leaders to collect N5,000 from every officer to cover the two events. "I want to plead that we should contribute 5k each to cover up for the two events. Because it has become a must for me to do it on Monday when everybody is presenting theirs," the message reportedly stated. The message further indicated that the amount would be deducted from officers' allowances.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, Babatunde confirmed the deduction but did not link the commandant as having directed it. He insisted that the money was nothing compared to what he paid to the Corps. "So, I know someone might have reported to you, but I think that matter is none of your business. Because I can tell you categorically that if that matter does not concern you, in every business, in every organisation, there's what they call what? Welfare. You can run a welfare to your boss. It depends on how loyal you are to him. Are you getting me?" he said. "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 did it. Are you getting me? So, it's none of any journalist's business. You don't have to be worrying about that. You understand? Okay, now, listen to me. For how many months now, I did not deduct N1, a dime from their money. But when I think that it is necessary to do it for my boss, so I deduct it. They have been collecting complete money, so how much is N5,000? Do you know how much I'm paying them every month? So, you need to find out things before you can say you want to... Thank God that you called me. You get the basic idea of what actually happened." He added, "So, everybody that reported to you, just let them know that there's sacrifice everywhere. You must do it to grow. If you don't do... it's not extortion as they put it. It's something that we do for us to grow in the course of the job. You understand? People are doing more than that. So, I don't know why they are complaining about just ordinary common N5,000. Do you know how much they're collecting? Some are collecting above N100,000, N150,000 every month for them to make a sacrifice of... It's just one month, so my brother."
The allegations remain claims and have not been independently established. The commandant was not quoted in the initial report as responding directly to the allegations, and his subsequent denial represents his first public response. The Oyo State Command of the NSCDC has not issued an official statement on the matter, and it remains unclear whether the commandant's promised investigation will be conducted independently or through the command's internal mechanisms. For the officers who spoke out, the coming days will determine whether their allegations are thoroughly investigated or quietly shelved. For the NSCDC, the controversy raises uncomfortable questions about the welfare of personnel deployed to beats across the state and the line between voluntary contributions and forced levies in a uniformed service.
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