 has announced the suspension of four officers accused of misappropriating N43.1 million from a suspect){kind=link}
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has announced the suspension of four officers accused of misappropriating N43.1 million from a suspect involved in an alleged cash smuggling case.
The suspended officers include Peter Ejike, a legal officer in charge of Zone 7, Abuja; Ekende Edwin, an inspector; Talabi Kayode, a sergeant; and Esther Okafor, also an inspector. All four were assigned to the Zone 7 headquarters.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Muyiwa Adejobi, the police spokesperson, explained that the officers unlawfully apprehended Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited, who was transporting N74,950,000 on behalf of his clients.
The officers detained Ejah at the Zone 7 headquarters and allegedly misrepresented the seized cash as N31,790,000.
According to the statement, the officers demanded a cut of the funds after being contacted by the rightful owners, who later filed a petition with the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit was tasked with investigating the matter.
Adejobi revealed that N31,790,000 was recovered from the officers, who falsely claimed it was the total amount seized during Ejah’s arrest.
Further investigations revealed that the officers had taken photographs of the suspect and the money at the time of arrest but claimed the evidence was lost due to a damaged phone.
Forensic analysis revealed that the officers conspired to steal N43,160,000 from the total cash and assigned one of their colleagues to hide the money outside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The officers reportedly employed various tactics to cover up their actions, including spreading false information through online platforms and news outlets.
Adejobi stated that the officers were found guilty of multiple offenses, including serious misconduct, tampering with evidence, abuse of power, corruption, and unprofessional behavior.
He emphasized that the movement of such a large sum by the cargo company could have been handled properly by the police if not for the officers’ greed.