Whistle-blowing: Policemen ‘blackmail, extort’ contractors

Some policemen attached to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Special Tactical Squad are allegedly extorting money from contractors working for Ministries, Department and Agencies, (MDA), Sunday Tribune has learnt.

But the authorities have strongly denied the allegation, saying it was a calculated attempt to rubbish the activities of the team.

It was gathered that the policemen, led by the senior member of the Tactical Squad and leader of the investigative team, SP Ben Kalio Bright, allegedly blackmail and intimidated the contractors, dropping  the name and the office of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Idris Ibrahim, and the chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC), Sir Mike Okiro.

The squad was also alleged to be working with some court officials, who give orders to freeze bank accounts of individuals and companies under the guise that their accounts were being investigated.

These officers were said to contact the affected individuals and companies for negotiations on how to unfreeze the said accounts at a price which was said to run into millions of naira.

One of the contractors, who spoke to Sunday Tribune on condition of anonymity, claimed the team responded as a syndicate.

“This officer has the backing of his bosses and has continued to run a syndicate under the whistle-blower policy to harass and extort huge sums of money from contractors and top civil servants in Nigeria,” the source claimed.

“He harasses us and drops name of the current Inspector General of Police (IGP), Idris Ibrahim, and current chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, a retired IG, and other top police officers.

“The syndicate has been successful because they are working with some courts in the FCT, for the purpose of carrying out their new trade.”

Speaking further, the source said: “Information available to us revealed that the officer has already obtained orders of a magistrate court in the FCT that we believe is in collaboration with him, to freeze bank accounts of more contractors working for MDAs.”

When contacted, the Squad Commander, ACP Yusuf Kolo, dismissed the allegation stating that the squad did not have the authority to initiate such investigation without the order of a competent court.

He explained that several investigations ordered by the court were on-going and were not restricted to whistle-blowing related cases, just as it is not within the job description of squad to freeze or unfreeze any account,

According to him, the squad is charged with investigating and reporting to the courts on its finding hence any irregularities concerning freezing and unfreezing accounts may have to be traced to the courts.

The commander, who said he was not aware of negotiation with suspects or defendants in any case, said the police would not collaborate with criminals to pervert the course of justice.

Also, speaking on the allegations against his team, SP Bright confirmed that every investigation by the team was assigned by the commander based on a court order which is usually a consequence of a petition.

Bright said that his team, like other teams in the squad, investigate issues raised in such petitions by inviting the interested parties to make statements among other techniques, but has no dealings with the court.

Stating that the allegation was the handiwork of some powerful people bent on frustrating the squad’s investigation, he noted that the only case where the accounts of suspects were unfrozen, even as the investigation was yet to be completed, was without the knowledge of the investigating team.