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ICPC may probe two police chiefs over extortion
Soni Daniel, Port Harcourt
Two top police officers attached to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, may soon face a probe by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for allegedly demanding and collecting gratification from a crime victim.
The two police chiefs, an Assistant Commissioner of Police and a Deputy Superintendent of Police, who are also members of the IGP monitoring team, ran into trouble following their conduct in a case of fraud reported against an oil servicing firm in Rivers State.
They were said to have been sent by Balogun, to Port Harcourt to investigate a petition entitled �Fraudulent practices of West African Oil Services Limited and threat to the life of Pastor Jonathan Alatoru.�
The petitioner, a contractor to WAOS limited, had alleged that the company was ripping off Nigeria and the Rivers State Government by withholding Pay-As-You-Earn taxes and other fees accruing to the country.
Balogun, it was learnt, drafted the two police chiefs to handle the matter after the petitioner had complained that the police in Calabar, Cross River State were demanding bribe from him.
The IGP team from Abuja, which arrived Port Harcourt on June 4, 2004 to investigate the allegations against WAOS, however, fell into the trap set by the petitioner.
Unknown to the two police chiefs, the bribe demanded by them, which was to be paid into the account of their front, was documented and forwarded to the ICPC by the complainant.
Alatoru had paid the money to the police officers in two separate BroadBank cheques dated May 4, 2004 into account number 8110010609 at the Federal Secretariat Branch, Abuja.
But the petitioner after waiting for sometime, became frustrated when the police chiefs who demanded and collected another N30, 000 from his wife kept asking for more money and threatening to deal with him if he reported them to anybody.
Angered, by their conduct Alatoru on June 15 went to the Federal High Court in Abuja and deposed to an affidavit that the two police officers were on his �neck� after he refused to part with more money to them.
He averred that while the Assistant Police Commissioner boasted that the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were under his control, the Deputy Superintendent of police said that one accidental discharge from a police rifle could take care of him.
Alatoru also sent a petition to the ICPC on June 15, 2004 asking the commission to probe the two officers.
Entitled �Intimidation, extortion, exploitation and sale of justice to the highest bidder ...� the petitioner prayed the ICPC to take urgent steps to save his life from the police chiefs.
Already, the ICPC has written to the petitioner, assuring him that urgent steps had been taken to investigate the conduct of the police chiefs.
In a letter by one F. Popoola on behalf of the ICPC Chairman, Justice Mustapha Akanbi (rtd), and dated June 16, 2004, the commission said that it was looking into all the issues and that the outcome would be made known to the petitioner.
The ICPC has also written to two other witnesses mentioned in the petition to come forward and provide evidence without delay in the interest of justice.
When contacted on telephone on Sunday night, the Force Public Relations officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe said he was unaware of the matter.
�I am not aware of that, I came to Abuja on Saturday. I cannot comment on anything I don�t know. I won�t want to assume, Olakpe said.
The Punch, Monday July 05, 2004
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