THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has suspended four officers linked to the theft of N43,160,000 (N43.1 million) being part of a larger sum recovered during an ‘unauthorised’ operation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on August 26, 2023.
The officers, identified as Peter Ejike, a deputy superintendent, Ekende Edwin, Esther Okafor, both inspector and Talabi Kayode, a sergeant, were found culpable after an investigation revealed they conspired to steal a portion of the money while attempting to cover their tracks.
A statement by the Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Wednesday, December 4, stated that the officers, attached to the Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, stole the money during an unlawful arrest of one Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited, who was transporting ₦74,950,000 on behalf of his clients.
According to the statement, the team, acting on Ejike’s instructions, detained Ejah, misrepresented the recovered cash as ₦31,790,000, and later demanded a percentage of the funds to suppress the case.
The statement added that following the petition to the Force Headquarters by the owners of the money, which prompted an investigation by the inspector-general of police monitoring unit, forensic intelligence revealed that the officers photographed the money at the point of arrest but later claimed the device used was damaged and lost.
It also noted that the force discovered that the officers conspired to steal N43,160,000 and attempted to relocate it outside Abuja to cover their tracks.
Force spokesperson, said the officers’ actions amounted to criminal conspiracy, theft, and abuse of office, adding that their suspension was the first step towards prosecution.
He noted that their unprofessional conduct undermined public trust and fell short of the standards expected of police officers.
“After intense investigations and a series of trial, before duly constituted disciplinary panels, it was discovered that the officers took photographs of the suspect and the sacks of monies at the point of arrest but claimed the phone they used was damaged and subsequently lost, in an attempt to conceal their misconduct.
“However, forensic intelligence showed that this group of officers conspired and stole part of the money, amounting to N43,160,000, and tasked one of them to move the cash out of the FCT for hiding pending when the heat blows over. They thereafter resorted to several tricks and gimmicks in order to cover their tracks. One of which is the spread of this false narrative and misinformation to several online blogs and newspaper platforms.
“These officers have been suspended, being found culpable of serious misconduct, tampering with exhibits, abuse of office, corrupt practice, illegal duty, and acts unbecoming of a police officer. The movement of such an amount of money by the alleged cargo company could have been investigated and handled professionally by the police, but the officers were carried away by greed and therefore acted criminally and unprofessionally,” the statement read.
Adejobi further debunked allegations, he said were circulating in the media that the inspector-general of police, Kayode Egbetokun, was shielding a cartel involved in smuggling banknotes.
He described the claims as baseless and a deliberate attempt to distract from the officers’ misconduct.
“It is pertinent to note that the circulating false narrative is a sponsored misinformation cultivated by mischief makers who seek to divert attention from the criminal acts of the police officers by attempting to join issues with the inspector-general of police. The affected officers will be prosecuted upon conclusion of due legal and administrative procedures,” the statement added.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M
Who is not a thief from the IGP to the last corporal?