LAGOS — THE Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun has commended the Area Commander of Ile-Ife Area Command in Osun State, Mr. Ade T. Shinaba for rejecting a bribe of N1. 5 million offered him by relations of robbery suspects with a view to over-looking a case involving six suspects.
Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe in Abuja said that the case started on August 9th, 2004 when the Area Commander on a tip off deployed a team of detectives to Ikire in Irewole local government area of Osun state where some unknown persons were said to have surreptiously stocked suspected stolen items involving over 1400 cartons of peak milk worth over N7million inside a private warehouse.
According to the police spokesman, “The suspected owner of the stolen goods, a forty-two-year-old Henry Ogwunta and five of his accomplices were subsequently arrested after a sustained surveillance activity. However, during police interrogation, the suspects confessed that the goods in question were actually stolen.
“Soon after their confession, the relatives of Henry, the principal suspect mobilized money and offered the Area Commander a whooping N1.5million aimed at inducing him to release the suspects, the suspected stolen goods as well as truncate prosecution. The Area Commander instantly rejected the bribe and ordered the immediate arrest of Ifeanyi through whom the offer was made”.
Commenting on the matter, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun reiterated the resolve of the Force to stamp out corruption both within and outside the force and assured Nigerians that the era of business as usual is over.
He commended members of the public for their support to the Nigeria police and enjoined them to continue to oblige the police with timely and useful information, pointing out that the Force could do a little or nothing without information from members of the public.
He described the action of the police in Osun as a clear sign that the current police anti-corruption crusade which is part of his 8-point Crime control strategies has gained ground and assured that all the suspects will appear in court as soon as investigations into the matter are completed.
