The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has denied allegations implicating the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, in shielding a cartel accused of smuggling suspicious new banknotes from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). In a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the NPF described the allegations as baseless and a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the IGP and the police institution.
According to Adejobi, the incident in question occurred on August 26, 2023, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. He stated that a thorough investigation had been conducted, leading to the sanctioning of the officers involved. The officers identified include DSP Peter Ejike, a lawyer in charge of the Zone 7 Legal Section, and his subordinates, Inspector Ekende Edwin, Inspector Esther Okafor, and Sergeant Talabi Kayode. All are attached to the Zone 7 Headquarters.
Explaining the case further, Adejobi revealed that these officers, acting under the directive of DSP Ejike, unlawfully detained Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited, who was transporting a cash sum of N74,950,000 on behalf of clients. They detained Mr. Ejah at Zone 7 Headquarters without authorization and falsely reported the recovered amount as N31,790,000.
The officers also allegedly demanded a share of the money in exchange for suppressing the investigation. When contacted by the rightful owners of the cash, the officers maintained that only N31,790,000 was recovered, demanding a percentage to derail the case. This prompted the aggrieved owners to file a petition at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, which led to the IGPâs Monitoring Unit taking over the investigation.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the officers had conspired to steal N43,160,000 of the recovered money. Adejobi disclosed that forensic analysis revealed the officers took photographs of the suspect and the money but later claimed the phone used for the evidence was damaged and lost, an attempt to cover up their misconduct. One officer was tasked with moving the stolen cash out of Abuja to avoid detection.
In addition to misrepresenting the facts, the officers were found spreading false narratives to online blogs and media outlets to deflect attention from their criminal acts. Consequently, all the implicated officers were suspended for misconduct, tampering with evidence, corruption, illegal duties, and abuse of office.
Adejobi emphasized that the movement of such a large sum of money by FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited should have been handled with professionalism, but greed led the officers to act unethically and unlawfully. He assured that they would face prosecution after the completion of all necessary legal and administrative processes.
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