The agency claimed it has been plagued with calls and messages since Tuesday, demanding clarity on a purported insertion of N4.5 billion for the construction of police barracks into its proposed budget being discussed by the Senate, according to its director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

In a statement on Wednesday by its director, media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency said it has been bombarded with calls and messages since Tuesday, seeking clarification on an alleged insertion of N4.5billion for the construction of police barracks into its proposed budget being considered by the Senate.

“This statement is, therefore, a formal response and clarification of reports that suggest that the agency’s budget proposal submitted by the Federal Ministry of Finance was padded with N4.5billion for construction of police barracks.

“It is public knowledge that President Muhamadu Buhari magnanimously approved the construction of barracks for NDLEA over four years starting from the 2022 fiscal year,” the statement read in part.

The NDLEA’s remarks came a day after the Senate’s Committee on Drugs and Narcotics rejected the report after discovering a document that “illegally included” N4.5 billion meant for the construction of police barracks.

Investigations have revealed that the money in question is actually for the building of NDLEA barracks, but it was typographically inserted as ‘police barracks’ in one of the documents linked to the request from the Budget Office, according to the agency.

The typo problem has subsequently been remedied, according to Babafemi, and the budget has been approved by the Senate Committee.