THE WAYS OF NIGERIAN POLICE

Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim

Augustine Okpara is sad and angry that the Rivers State Police Command illegally auctioned his properties worth millions of Naira for a paltry sum. While Okpara is demanding justice.
On September 10, 2008, Augustine Okpara and five others were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court 4, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on a 21-count charge bearing on forgery, stealing and receiving stolen property.

Almost a year after, precisely April 2009, Okpara was discharged and acquitted by the Chief Magistrate E.C. Woke, after the complainant in the matter, the United Bank for Africa, withdrew the case from court.

Okpara then approached the police at the State Criminal Investigations Department, Port Harcourt that investigated his case to release all his confiscated properties. He however got a rude shock when he learnt that his three cars that were impounded by the police had been auctioned.

Okpara was told that his three cars — a black Mitsubishi Pajero jeep with number plate EI 210 ABJ; an ash coloured Mitsubishi Pajero jeep with number plate DQ 557 PHC and a Mercedes Benz CLK saloon car with number plate HH 188 KJA were sold in July 2009 for N5,000 each and it has been impossible for him to have them back.

That was how Okpara started the battle to recover his cars, but this has not been fruitful.

Okpara said that in 2007, the police arrested him for forgery and stealing. “They confiscated my house and office properties together with three of my vehicles.”

He alleged that while his prosecution was going on, the police at the SCID allegedly obtained a false affidavit to sell his cars.

Okpara said, “In the affidavit, the police said that my cars were abandoned by people that were involved in oil bunkering and pipeline vandalisation. The affidavit was false because I was charged to court on Charge Number PMC/ 1335C/2008 for forgery and stealing. Indeed, the policeman who swore to the false affidavit had admitted that his senior officers misled him and thereafter sold the vehicles to themselves for N5,000 each.

“When I eventually approached the police with the court judgment for the release of my properties, the exhibit keeper told us that the vehicles had been disposed off by the order of the Commissioner of Police, Bala Hassan. My office and house properties were however released to me, with the exception of my vehicles that Hassan had sold, as he was then the CP, Rivers State Command.”

Okpara said that he decided to call Hassan to verify if it was true that the CP was the one behind the sale of his cars. “I contacted Hassan on the phone and he said that the Inspector-General of Police authorised the sale through the Commissioner of Police, Sabo Ringim; and that if there is a problem, the IG will also make a statement. This is what Bala told me on phone and it is on record.

“Hassan is a super rich officer. When he wanted to sell the vehicles, the exhibit keeper advised him not to sell them since the case was still in court, but Hassan ordered the detention of the exhibit keeper. It is also on record.

“The female Chief Superintendent of Police who was holding brief as the Officer in Charge of the SCID also advised him not to sell the vehicles, but Hassan threatened to transfer the woman out of the SCID. The OC Legal similarly advised against the sale but Hassan refused to listen to anybody.

“The outgoing IG had earlier directed that Hassan should recover and return my vehicles to me; but rather than heed his superior’s instruction, Hassan advised that I should sue the police so as to get compensation since the IG authorised the sale.

“After the illegal auction, my Benz car was sighted in the compound of Hassan by a policeman on guard duty. Most of the trucks Hassan sold in Rivers State, their cases are still in court and their owners are not aware that the trucks have been sold. I came to know of mine because I was discharged from the court. You can imagine a senior officer falsifying documents, forging newspaper publications, swearing to false affidavits to sell exhibit vehicles of cases that are still in court all in the name of making money.”

At this stage, Okpara said he realised that he could not fight the battle alone and that he would need the police to recover his cars. He then wrote a petition to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police; and the Special Fraud Unit, Lagos, was detailed to investigate the matter.

The SFU in an investigation report about the case which was signed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Douglas Agbonleni, wrote, “It is a fact that Okpara Augustine was investigated for a case of fraud reported by the UBA for which you were charged to court in 2008 and eventually discharged and acquitted of all counts in April 2009.

“That it is a fact that your vehicles were impounded from you and registered as exhibits during the period of investigation and trial. That it is also a fact that the said vehicles were indeed sold through auction by the Rivers State Police Command in July 2009.

“Also, be advised that the report has been forwarded to the IG for further necessary action.”

Okpara’s lawyer, Ricky Tarfa and Co., is demanding a return of the cars to their client. In a letter to the IG, the law firm said, “Our client told us that he was arrested and subsequently charged to court on a 21-count charge of forgery and stealing on September 10, 2008 at the Chief Magistrate Court 4, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“Okpara was discharged and acquitted by his worship E.C. Woke, who also ordered the release of our client’s confiscated properties, which included three cars and household properties, among other valuables.

“It is however unfortunate that our client approached the Police for the release of his properties in their custody only to be emphatically informed by the exhibit keeper that the properties had been disposed by Hassan.

“Our client’s grouse in this case is that due process was not followed in the disposal of his properties, hence he was adjudged innocent in the alleged charges and there was no subsisting court order empowering the police to so act. More so, the time-frame for the disposal of such properties, assuming he was convicted of any charges, had not elapsed.”

In a telephone interview with our correspondent last Wednesday, Hassan, who is now the CP, Abia State, refused to comment on the matter. He said, “The matter is before the IG, so I cannot comment on it.”

A day later.  our correspondent sent him a text message imploring him to reply to the allegations against him but he did not respond.

The Federal Police Public Relations Officer, Shola Amore, in a telephone interview with our correspondent last Wednesday, however, advised Okpara to see the IG personally.

He said, “Okpara should see the IG personally over this matter. The IG operates an open-door policy. I’m not aware of this matter. Please call me tomorrow during office hours so that I can get more details for you.”

Amore, however, did not pick his calls or reply to the text message our correspondent sent to his phone the following day.

OBAMA WILL HOST JONATHAN COME WEDNESDAY

United States President Barack Obama will receive President Goodluck Jonathan at the White House, Washington DC on Wednesday, June 8.

A statement from the Office of the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President on Saturday, said Jonathan would arrive in New York to participate at the summit on HIV/AIDS and the impact of the pandemic on international peace and security.

He will also participate in the inauguration of the Global Plan for Elimination of HIV Mother-To-Child Transmission project with former United States President Bill Clinton on June 9 in New York before returning to Nigeria on Friday, June 10.

Nigeria is currently one of the nine non-permanent members of the UN Security Council and Jonathan is to participate in one of the Security Council sessions that may decide on a second term for the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.

Twelve foreign leaders mostly from Africa have confirmed their participation at the HIV/AIDS Summit.

However, Empowered Newswire, quoting Nigeria Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, also confirmed the invitation.

The envoy said the invitation was, America’s recognition of the strategic importance of Nigeria to the fulfillment of US global objectives.

He stated that the US President and government had realised that “Nigeria now has a president who delivers on his promises,” recalling that last year when Jonathan met with Obama in Washington DC at the Nuclear Security summit conveyed by the US president, both presidents discussed the need for a free and fair elections in Nigeria.

The visit which is Jonathan’s first to White House will, according to Adefuye, “cement the increasing collaboration and cooperation that is existing between Nigeria and the US since President Jonathan took over last year.”

Although Jonathan visited the US and met with Obama last year during the Nuclear Security summit, the meeting was held at the Washington Convention centre and not in the White House.

WHO WILL TAKE THE MANTLE OF LEADERSHIP FROM DIMEJI

Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola

The battle for the speakership of the House of Representatives has shifted to the Asokoro lodges of governors from the Peoples Democratic Party, in Abuja, where they read the Riot Act to lawmakers-elect to respect the party’s decision by electing Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola as speaker on Monday.

This is even as a rash of meetings of Reps zonal caucuses continued on Saturday to finalise strategies on the election of Speaker.

The life of the House under the superintendence of Mr. Dimeji Bankole ended on Saturday.

The contest for the exalted speakership seat has sharply divided the 360-member House, throwing up Adeola, Messrs Aminu Tambuwal and Muraino Ajibola, as aspirants.

The PDP leadership in league with its governors had endorsed Akande-Adeola as the party’s candidate after a meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

But a group of lawmakers led by Tambuwal, who is also aspiring for the most hallowed chair, has remained defiant, and vowed to contest the seat.

It was gathered that the adamant posture of the Tambuwal group, compelled the party to direct its PDP governors to individually reach out to their repsentatives to make them act in accord with the party position.

Consequently, PDP governors still in Abuja met the legislators last Friday to pressurize them to vote for the anointed candidate of the party.

One lawmaker outside the North, told Sunday Punch on Saturday that the governors called them to appeal and in some cases, intimidate, adding however, that they would still go ahead with the “Tambuwal project.”

He said, “The governors called us on Friday to read the Riot Act; but governors were not the ones that elected us. The electorate elected us.

“Our oath of allegiance is to the Constitution and not to any individual, mindful of the fact that the Constitution has no provision for either North or South, but one indivisible country called Nigeria.

“The important thing is that the Speaker of the House does not belong to the PDP alone, but also belongs to other political parties.

“Therefore, no amount of coercion, intimidation or threat will deter us from going ahead with our plan.”

Earlier, the South-West zonal plank of the PDP, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo had adopted Muraino as its candidate, but the party in Abuja and the legislators spurned the decision.

The caucuses of South-South zone led by Mr. Andrew Uchendu and North-East zone chaired by Mr. Jerry Manwe, on Saturday, issued a statement, backing Mulikat.

Uchendu, from Rivers State told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the South-South lawmakers believed in the supremacy of the party and that whomever the PDP supported would be adopted.

He said, “After we evaluated the candidates for the contest, we found out that Mulikat’s mien, conduct, educational background and humility prepared her well as a possible leader we need to support.

“We also believe in political compromise for the sustainability of our democracy and our country. No zone should be left out in the political equation of the country and for the stability of the country.

“We have told our colleagues that we should not question the PDP platform that brought us to Abuja.”

Also, Manwe stated, “The North-East caucus stands by the party’s decision. We are loyal party members.”

It is believed that Mulikat is pairing with Mr. Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi State, who until last Friday was the Chairman, House Services Committee.

The House has about 260 new members of the 360-member legislature, and the new lawmakers hold the power loop critical to the emergence of the speaker.

A thrice-elected lawmaker said, “These new members can easily listen to their governors than the ranking members who are supporting Tambuwal.

“If we take cognizance of the fact that the old members are about 100, it will be easy to appreciate that we don’t have what it takes to tilt the balance, only the new lawmakers can.”

Both Mulikat and Tambuwal have met former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu of Action Congress of Nigeria, in a bid to secure the support of the 70-member lawmakers of the party.

The two leading contestants in the race are lawyers, and Mulikat apart from enjoying the party’s support, is also being supported by President Goodluck Jonathan and his wfe, Patience.