Over the weekend, tension engulfed the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters as revelations surfaced about how Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun has allegedly been targeting officers to protect a cartel notorious for smuggling suspicious new banknotes from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The cartel’s operations were interrupted on August 26, 2023, when four police inspectors flagged a suspicious consignment at Abuja airport, according to sources familiar with the case.
Five suspects were arrested, sparking a financial crimes investigation that lasted several weeks. The suspects, who only described themselves as “contractors,” admitted to moving large amounts of cash from the CBN to Lagos over the years but refused to identify the CBN staff involved.
The suspects were found with stacks of freshly minted N500 and N200 notes amounting to tens of millions of naira. They were attempting to load the money onto a Lagos-bound aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, further raising suspicions.
Just as charges were about to be filed, the Inspector-General’s monitoring unit reportedly intervened, took over the case, and removed the suspects—including their leader, Andrew Ejah—from custody under AIG Zone 7. The suspects were subsequently released.
The suspects, however, refused to reclaim the seized money, alleging that the amount had been reduced from ₦75 million to ₦32 million, with over half of it missing. Their claims led Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun to order the arrest and detention of the four police inspectors responsible for their apprehension.
The first orderly room trial, conducted in December 2023, involved Inspectors Ekende Edwin, Esther Okafor, Patrick Nwande, and Talabi Kayode. They were exonerated after the trial concluded that the suspects’ actions were suspicious and their statements contradictory.
The trial found no evidence linking the inspectors to any tampering with the seized cash. It also highlighted the absence of documentation, such as a receipt, to verify the amount the suspects were transporting. This made it difficult to rely solely on the suspects’ claims regarding the missing funds.
The trial’s outcome, dated December 13, 2023, with reference number 7370/SPM/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.15/98, cleared the inspectors. The suspects, in their statements, claimed they received the cash from the CBN vault but failed to identify the official who handed it over. No CBN representative corroborated their claims.
A spokesperson for the CBN did not respond to requests for clarification about the alleged connection to the suspects’ activities.
Dissatisfied with the initial verdict, Mr. Egbetokun ordered a second trial. However, the outcome remained unchanged due to insufficient evidence to implicate the inspectors. The second trial, concluded on February 20, 2024, was referenced 6350/SPM/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.11/105.
Despite the findings of two trials, the police chief insisted on a third, prompting unease among both high-ranking and junior officers. Many questioned why the IGP continued to pursue the matter, particularly since the trials had exonerated his own personnel.
Speculation arose regarding whether Mr. Egbetokun had vested interests in the case, leading to suspicions he might be sacrificing his officers to placate influential figures upset by the syndicate’s exposure.
Notably, the suspects’ leader, Andrew Ejah, admitted that their cash-smuggling activities had gone unnoticed for years, even during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure. This raised concerns about powerful backers orchestrating the operations behind the scenes.
Mr. Ejah did not respond to requests for comment, and it was unclear whether he had legal representation in the matter.
This was not the first time the IGP faced accusations of favoring influential individuals. In April 2024, HEDA, an anti-corruption group, criticized Mr. Egbetokun for withdrawing police officers assigned to the Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission. The withdrawal occurred while the commission was investigating fraud allegations against APC national chair Abdullahi Ganduje, leaving its facilities and officials without security.
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“It is deeply troubling that law enforcement resources are being redirected away from combating corruption and instead appear to be utilised to obstruct investigations into high-profile individuals and undermine accountability,” the statement signed by HEDA and two other civil rights groups stated.
The groups advised the IGP to operate an independent security force void of interference from men of influence.
Still, Mr Egbetokun’s conduct and order of a third trial angered the police’s hierarchy, who could not fathom why the police chief seemed determined to throw the inspectors under the bus over the unsubstantiated claims of multimillion-naira cash transporters.
“The IG should have backed down, but he kept chasing the officers because he was offended they did their job,” a senior police officer told The Gazette under anonymity from Force Headquarters over the weekend. “We have reported him to the PSC because we cannot sit down watching an IG that is so blatantly corrupt to the point of punishing officers who should have been rewarded for doing the job they were tasked to do.”
“The IG was the one who exposed himself,” the top officer added. “He should blame only himself for this scandal.”
Mr. Egbetokun did not immediately provide comments on the matter, and police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi has yet to respond to inquiries from The Gazette.
It remains uncertain how President Tinubu will address the situation, given his longstanding relationship with the IGP. Mr. Egbetokun previously served as Mr. Tinubu’s orderly during his tenure as the governor of Lagos State, highlighting their close ties.
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