Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, counsel for alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, a.k.a. Evans, has petitioned the Police Service Commission, calling for the probe of the policemen who handled the case of his client.
Ogungbeje, in a petition dated October 13, 2017, alleged that members of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, which handled the case, abused their position to extort his client.
According to him, the team of police investigators, led by Mr. Abba Kyari, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, “forcefully and corruptly extorted” from Evans cash in local and foreign currency as well as various items including phones, wrist watches, jewellery, television, cars and trucks.
Ogungbeje claimed that the policemen forcefully took N50m from Evans, while his wife was also forced to part with another N5m.
The lawyer claimed that a sum of $10,000, was also forcefully taken from the suspect by the police.
Other items allegedly taken from Evans by the police, according to Ogungbeje, are a Brigade wrist watch, valued at $117; a pendant cross, worth $70,000; a necklace, worth $25,000; a Virtu phone, worth $30,000; a Virtu Signature phone, valued at $17,000; and five pieces of Saphono Ruccu diamond rings worth $100,000.
Ogungbeje also claimed that the policemen also removed and took away the 85 inches Samsung television set, worth N6.5m in Evans’ apartment.
Other items were 25 Mark trucks; a Lexus 470 jeep; a Grand Cherokee jeep; a L400 Mitsubishi Bus and a gold-colour Toyota Highlander jeep.
Apart from Kyari, the other police officers mentioned in Ogungbeje’s petition are ASP Phillip Rieninwa, who was specifically accused of obtaining $10,000 from the kidnap suspect; ASP Sunny Ubua; ASP Emmanuel Ali; Inspector Idowu Haruna; Inspector Egunjobi Segun and “other policemen attached to the IGP Intelligence Response Team.”
The lawyer also alleged that Evans’ girlfriend, one Amaka Offor, “was roundly sexually molested and abused by the above policemen of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team.”
The petition, captioned, “The Evans case and saga: Brazen extortion, corruption, gross misconduct, sexual molestation, and human rights violation against the IGP Intelligence Response Team police officer and policemen,” demanded the probe, sanction and possible dismissal of the accused policemen.
Ogungbeje said in the petition addressed to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission that, “It is very unfortunate that the above-named police officers and policemen could be involved in such gross misconduct and indiscipline in taking advantage of a criminal suspect in their custody to perpetrate high-level extortion, corruption, gross misconduct, indiscipline and sexual molestation.
“Sir, you would agree with us that these allegations are too weighty to be ignored by any right-thinking Nigerian. There is no gainsaying the fact that it calls for prompt investigation, inquiry and appropriate sanctions. We are using this medium as our own way of galvanising institutional sanity, cleansing and reform in the Nigeria Police Force as an institution.
“At this juncture, we do not intend to jump the gun or draw conclusions on these high-wire allegations against the above-mentioned police officers and policemen by our client. We are only calling for prompt investigation or inquiry on all the police officers and policemen involved in this whole saga.
“From the foregoing, we urge you, sir, to constitute a special investigation and enquiry panel to investigate this monumental extortion, corruption, gross misconduct, indiscipline, sexual abuse and Human rights violation against all the police officers and policemen of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team.
“We also demand that you use the auspices of the Police Service Commission as an oversight agency of the Nigeria Police Force to invoke appropriate sanctions including dismissal against the culpable police officers and policemen.
“We have great confidence in your ability to deal with this matter no matter whose ox is gored.”
The petitioned was copied to the Senate President; the Speaker of the House of Representatives; the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission; and Director of Amnesty International.
PUNCH
