Police officers extort ₦43,160,000 from cargo worker at Abuja International Airport
Story by Victor Itodo ABUH
The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has disclosed how a group of officers unlawfully extorted a total of ₦43,160,000 from a cargo worker at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in August 2023.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the NPF Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Ogunjobi, it was revealed that the officers involved – Inspector Ekende Edwin, Inspector Esther Okafor, and Sergeant Talabi Kayode, all attached to the Zone 7 Headquarters – were found guilty of the crime after investigations.
The incident reportedly began when Inspector Okafor, acting under instructions from DSP Peter Ejike, led a team to arrest Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited. Elijah was transporting ₦74,950,000 on behalf of clients when he was detained without proper authorisation.
ACP Ogunjobi stated that the officers misrepresented the amount recovered during the arrest, claiming it was ₦31,790,000. They subsequently demanded a percentage of the funds as a bribe to suppress the case.
Upon receiving a petition from the alleged owners of the money, the Force Headquarters directed the IGP Monitoring Unit to investigate the matter. It was during this investigation that the sum of ₦31,790,000 was recovered from the officers, who insisted it was the total amount confiscated during the arrest.
Further investigations revealed that the officers had conspired to steal ₦43,160,000 from the recovered funds. Forensic intelligence uncovered that they had taken photographs of the suspect and the cash at the time of arrest but later claimed that the phone used for this documentation was damaged and lost – an attempt to cover up their misconduct.
The stolen money was reportedly hidden outside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part of their plan to evade detection. The officers resorted to spreading misinformation to divert attention, including false narratives shared with online blogs and newspapers.
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Responding to these claims, ACP Ogunjobi clarified, “The Nigeria Police Force has noted with concern the recent allegations circulating in the media, suggesting that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, is shielding a cartel accused of smuggling suspicious new banknotes from the Central Bank of Nigeria. The NPF categorically refutes these claims, condemning them as baseless and orchestrated attempts to tarnish the IGP’s reputation and the integrity of the Force.
“The incident in question, which occurred at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on August 26, 2023, has been thoroughly investigated. The officers involved – DSP Peter Ejike (a lawyer in charge of Zone 7 Legal Section), Inspector Ekende Edwin, Inspector Esther Okafor, and Sergeant Talabi Kayode, all attached to the Zone 7 Headquarters – were found culpable and sanctioned appropriately.
“These officers have been suspended, being found culpable of serious misconduct, tampering with exhibits, abuse of office, corrupt practice, illegal duty, and acts unbecoming of a police officer.
“The movement of such an amount of money by the alleged cargo company could have been investigated and handled professionally by the police, but the officers were carried away by greed and therefore acted criminally and unprofessionally.
“It is pertinent to note that the circulating false narrative is a sponsored misinformation cultivated by mischief makers who seek to divert attention from the criminal acts of the police officers by attempting to join issues with the Inspector-General of Police. The affected officers will be prosecuted upon conclusion of due legal and administrative procedures.”
The NPF urged the public and media to avoid spreading false narratives that could undermine trust in the Police Force and its ongoing reforms aimed at eradicating corruption and unprofessional practices.
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