The Oyo State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Augustine Padonu, has denied allegations that personnel under his command were subjected to compulsory financial deductions allegedly linked to his personal birthday and church activities.

Padonu told Globalvoice in a telephone interview on Tuesday that he had neither authorized nor directed officers to contribute money toward his birthday or his church's annual harvest.

“I never even ask any of my staff to be a party to anything I’m doing,” Padonu said.

The commandant said he became aware of the allegations only after Globalvoice's report was published and promised to independently investigate the claims.

“I will do investigation on my own on that,” he said.

The allegations were raised by serving NSCDC personnel who accused the Oyo Command of imposing what they described as systematic financial levies on officers deployed to various beats across the state.

The officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared possible victimization, alleged that some of the payments were presented as compulsory contributions toward the commandant's birthday celebrations and an annual church harvest at his church in Badagry, Lagos State.

WhatsApp Messages and ?616,000 Collection

Documents reviewed by Globalvoice included a WhatsApp message listing 58 officers and amounts attributed to each individual, with the contributions totaling ?616,000.

The money was reportedly paid into a PalmPay account registered in the name of Superintendent of Corps (SC) Adeeyo Oluremi Babatunde, popularly known as “The Machinery.”

Another message allegedly directed officers deployed to beats to contribute ?5,000 each, with the amount to be deducted from their allowances at source.

The documents and allegations have not, by themselves, established that Padonu personally ordered the deductions.

When contacted about the alleged collections, Babatunde confirmed that deductions had taken place but denied that they constituted extortion.

He also did not directly link Padonu to the instruction.

Babatunde defended the practice as a form of organizational welfare and loyalty to a superior.

“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,” he said.

He maintained that the officers were not routinely subjected to deductions.

“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,” Babatunde said.

He also rejected the description of the payments as extortion, arguing that officers were being asked to make what he described as a one-time “sacrifice.”

“It’s not extortion as they put it,” he said. “It’s something that we do for us to grow in the course of the job.”

Commandant: “I Don't Do Birthday”

Padonu strongly rejected any suggestion that he had instructed officers to finance his birthday.

“My church service, nobody, not any officer is there. The place is far, by the way,” he said.

“Anybody can do a thanksgiving, but I don’t call officers to be a party to, and my birthday, I don’t do birthday. I only prayed in my office with my staff in the office. So, that’s all.”

When Globalvoice asked about Babatunde's alleged involvement in the collections, Padonu said he would investigate.

“I will do investigation on my own on that,” he repeated.

He also appeared to distance himself from any activity carried out by personnel in his name.

“Anything a staff is doing, your workers are doing in your name, that one is up to them to explain,” he said.

The commandant expressed concern that the allegations could damage both his reputation and that of the NSCDC, and urged journalists to verify information before publication.

Deputy Commandant Challenges Allegations

During the telephone conversation, one of Padonu's deputies joined the call and also rejected the allegations against the commandant.

“All those things that you saw, you read on the paper, they are not correct. I’m telling you this, I’m staking my life on it. They are not correct,” the deputy said.

He suggested that the allegations could be connected to recent administrative changes within the Oyo Command.

According to him, Padonu had recently changed component commanders, divisional officers and area commanders as part of preparations for the forthcoming elections.

“Just recently, the Commandant just changed all the component commanders, the divisional officers, area commanders, just to make sure that we prepare very well for the election,” he said.

“I think after that, this is what you are seeing. So, you can read between the lines.”

The deputy did not provide evidence linking the allegations to the administrative changes.

Investigation Now Pending

At the center of the controversy are two conflicting accounts.

Whistleblowers allege that officers were subjected to compulsory deductions and that the money was collected through a designated coordinator.

Babatunde acknowledges making deductions but describes them as voluntary contributions or organizational “sacrifice,” while Padonu denies authorizing any contribution for his personal activities.

The documents reviewed by Globalvoice, including the alleged WhatsApp messages and payment records, provide evidence that money was requested from personnel, but they do not independently establish who authorized the collections or whether officers were coerced into paying.

Padonu has now promised to investigate the matter internally.

The outcome of that investigation could determine whether the alleged deductions were authorized, voluntary contributions among personnel, or an improper use of officers' allowances.

For the whistleblowers, however, the central question remains whether personnel were genuinely free to refuse the payments without fear of retaliation.

That question remains unanswered pending the commandant's investigation.