The Nigeria Police Force has firmly denied allegations implicating its Inspector-General, Kayode Egbetokun, in a smuggling scandal.
The accusations suggest that Egbetokun is shielding a cartel involved in the illicit movement of suspicious new banknotes from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
However, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the
Force Public Relations Officer, has dismissed these claims as "baseless and orchestrated attempts to tarnish the reputation of the IGP and the integrity of the Force."
The controversy centers around an incident on August 26, 2023, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. During this event, officers unlawfully detained Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited, who was transporting a cash sum of N74,950,000 on behalf of clients.
According to the police statement, the officers involved—DSP Peter Ejike, Inspector Ekende Edwin, Inspector Esther Okafor, and Sergeant Talabi Kayode—were found culpable after a thorough investigation.
The officers, led by Inspector Esther Okafor under the direction of DSP Peter Ejike, allegedly misrepresented the recovered amount as N31,790,000 and demanded a percentage of the funds to suppress the case.
"Upon being contacted by the alleged owners of the money, the officers claimed that the sum they had recovered from the arrested suspect was N31,790,000, and requested a percentage of the money to jeopardise investigation and suppress the case," the statement revealed.
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