The Integrity Youth Alliance (IYA) has described as fake, malicious, and poorly scripted the publication by Sahara Reporters titled, “EXCLUSIVE: Egbetokun’s Associate Shina Philips Accused Of Pocketing Police Conference Funds, Sharing Loot With Ex-IGP, Former PRO Adejobi.”
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Kelvin Adegbenga, the Alliance said the allegations against Mr. Shina Philips, Managing Director/CEO of Lenders Consult International, are nothing but a malicious fabrication and a poorly written script designed to mislead the public and tarnish reputations.
The group stated unequivocally that Mr. Shina Philips played a central role in organising police conferences for senior officers. However, it clarified that he sources funds independently through his company, Lenders Consult International, and not a dime comes from police funds.
“Shina Philips is a consultant to the Nigeria Police Force. He designed the proposal for the Senior Police Conference and has been executing the conference since 2019, starting from the tenure of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu. His involvement has always been professional, transparent, and consultancy-based,” the statement read.
The Alliance described as blatant lies the claim that “Phillips, acting under the cover of the then-IGP Egbetokun, travelled to various states to solicit sponsorship from governors for police conferences.” It explained that any fundraising or sponsorship drive was undertaken strictly by Lenders Consult International as a corporate entity and not under the cover of any Inspector-General.
It further emphasized that all funds raised by Lenders Consult International have been strictly utilized for the successful hosting of Senior Police Conferences to date, with no evidence of misappropriation.
The group strongly refuted the allegation that funds were shared between former IGP Kayode Egbetokun and the then Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, without the knowledge of other senior officers. No money was shared among anybody.
“Such allegations are from the pit of hell and clearly authored by a bitter soul bent on blackmail and character assassination. There is absolutely no truth to the claim that any dime was secretly shared,” the statement added.
The Integrity Youth Alliance challenged Sahara Reporters to publish concrete evidence of how “money intended for distribution to senior officers during state-level police conferences was tampered with,” rather than hiding behind anonymous and fictitious ‘sources.’
“It is unfortunate that Sahara Reporters continues to rely on faceless and questionable sources who must be smiling to the bank as they get paid heavily for peddling unverified stories,” the group said.
The Alliance also clarified that due to Mr. Shina Philips’ personal relationship with the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, he was able to secure hosting rights for another police conference scheduled to take place in Imo State in April 2026. It stressed that this arrangement was made without the influence of former IGP Egbetokun, contrary to the mischievous narrative pushed by Sahara Reporters.
On the allegation that Philips accompanied Egbetokun on official international visits and received allowances, the group described it as another falsehood. It explained that Shina Philips facilitated and secured most of the international engagements and, in several instances, spent his personal resources in support of those trips.
The Integrity Youth Alliance reiterated that Mr. Shina Philips is open to any credible investigation, noting that the organisation of police conferences from 2019 to date has been transparent, accountable, and professionally managed.
The group called on Sahara Reporters to act responsibly for once by verifying information before publication and to desist from tying damaging allegations to fictitious “sources” in a desperate attempt to create sensational headlines.
