An Ogun State resident, Mr. Adejare Olasunkanmi, has accused a police prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Matthew Famuyiwa, of allegedly collecting a bribe and deliberately removing 18 crucial exhibits from a criminal case file in a move he claims sabotaged the prosecution of three men standing trial over an alleged violent attack against him.
The allegations, which have sparked fresh concerns over corruption and the integrity of criminal prosecutions within the Nigeria Police Force, were made in an interview with SaharaReporters.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, Olasunkanmi alleged that ASP Famuyiwa, who prosecuted the matter before the Magistrate’s Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, conspired with the defence counsel representing the defendants to ensure that vital documentary and photographic evidence disappeared from the court file before judgment.
According to him, the prosecutor compromised the case after allegedly receiving financial inducement from the defendants and their lawyer.
“Famuyiwa prosecuted a case on my behalf at Magistrate’s Court, Isabo, Abeokuta, Ogun State, but he collected a bribe from the defendants and their lawyer and removed all the vital 18 exhibits from the case file,” Olasunkanmi alleged.
He listed the allegedly missing exhibits to include eight crime scene photographs, images showing him covered in blood after the alleged attack, medical reports issued by the General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta, admission records, patient cards, treatment receipts from both the General Hospital and Abraham Hospital, receipts for medications, photographs documenting injuries to his back, images of bottles allegedly used during the attack, photographs taken at the police station by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Inspector Blessing Eduwem Peter, as well as weapons allegedly recovered from the crime scene.
He further alleged that the missing exhibits also included two First Bank account statements showing separate transfers of N50,000, which he claimed were made by the defendants as an admission of guilt and an attempt to settle the matter outside court.
Olasunkanmi also accused the Ogun State Police Command of failing to investigate his earlier petition against the prosecutor despite directives from the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Command, Lagos.
According to him, he submitted a petition dated January 2, 2025, accusing Famuyiwa of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, betrayal of public trust, professional misconduct and unethical conduct.
He said the petition was acknowledged on January 14, 2025, before it was forwarded through the appropriate police channels to the Ogun State Commissioner of Police and later assigned to a Deputy Commissioner of Police for investigation.
However, Olasunkanmi alleged that no meaningful investigation was ever conducted.
“The refusal of the Ogun State Police Command to investigate my petition against Prosecutor Matthew Famuyiwa prompted me to submit another petition,” he said.
He maintained that the original Investigating Police Officer, Inspector Blessing Eduwem Peter, had painstakingly documented the alleged assault after visiting the crime scene on February 3, 2023, and accompanied him to the General Hospital, Ijaiye, where medical reports and other documentary evidence were obtained and included in the case file before the defendants were arraigned.
According to him, the disappearance of those documents fatally weakened the prosecution’s case.
Olasunkanmi further alleged that before judgment was delivered, the defence counsel, identified as Augustine Ihunba, repeatedly approached him with offers of financial compensation to settle the matter out of court, but he rejected the proposals.
He claimed that after he refused the offers, the prosecutor allegedly accepted gratification to compromise the prosecution.
To support his allegations, Olasunkanmi pointed to the judgment delivered on December 20, 2024, by Chief Magistrate A.K. Araba, arguing that the court repeatedly noted the absence of photographs, medical reports and other documentary evidence that, according to him, had originally formed part of the police case file.
He also disclosed that he petitioned the Chief Judge of Ogun State over the prosecutor’s conduct but was advised to channel his complaint through the appropriate police authorities.
Olasunkanmi, who said he previously worked as a litigation officer in the chambers of prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), insisted that his legal background made him fully aware of the importance of preserving documentary evidence in criminal proceedings.
He therefore called on the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, Lagos, to order a comprehensive investigation into the alleged disappearance of the exhibits and prosecute anyone found culpable for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, abuse of office and violations of police ethics.
A certified true copy of the judgment in Charge No. MA/153C/2023, obtained by SaharaReporters, showed that the prosecution called only two witnesses—the Investigating Police Officer, Inspector Blessing Eduwem Peter, and the complainant, Olasunkanmi.
During the proceedings, the investigating officer testified that she visited the crime scene, obtained statements from the parties and tendered several documents, including statements made by the defendants and a bank transfer receipt relating to an attempted settlement.
Olasunkanmi told the court that he was violently attacked after being accused of stealing sand, sustaining injuries to his head and eye after allegedly being struck with a shovel and bottles.
He further alleged that his residence was looted and that cash, mobile phones and other valuables were stolen during the attack.
The defendants denied all the allegations, insisting the dispute merely arose from a disagreement over sand. They denied assaulting the complainant, stealing his property or damaging his belongings, while admitting they agreed to pay N50,000 solely to explore an out-of-court settlement.
In her judgment, Chief Magistrate Araba held that the prosecution failed to prove the offences beyond reasonable doubt.
The court ruled that the allegation of theft remained speculative because there was no evidence that the complainant saw any of the defendants enter his apartment or steal his money, while none of the allegedly stolen items was recovered during the police investigation.
On the assault charge, the court observed that although the complainant claimed he suffered serious injuries and was photographed before receiving medical treatment, neither the alleged medical reports, police medical forms nor photographs were tendered as exhibits.
The magistrate further held that no visible injuries were presented during trial to corroborate the complainant’s account.
The court also dismissed the unlawful damage charge after finding that the allegedly damaged phones and power bank were never tendered as exhibits.
On the conspiracy count, the court held that the prosecution failed to establish any agreement among the defendants to commit an unlawful act.
Consequently, Chief Magistrate Araba discharged and acquitted the three defendants on all four counts.
Despite the acquittal, Olasunkanmi insists that the court’s repeated references to the absence of photographs, medical records and other documentary evidence strengthen his allegation that the exhibits were deliberately removed from the case file before the conclusion of the trial.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ogun State Police Command had not publicly responded to the allegations against ASP Matthew Famuyiwa. The allegations also remain unproven, and no finding of wrongdoing has been made against the officer by any competent authority.