The Nigeria Police Force has strongly refuted allegations accusing Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, of shielding a smuggling cartel. The Force’s Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, issued a statement clarifying that the IGP is not involved in any wrongdoing regarding the alleged smuggling of new banknotes from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as reported in some media outlets.
Adejobi described the allegations as “baseless” and part of a deliberate attempt to damage the IGP’s reputation and the integrity of the police force.
The statement further addressed an incident that occurred at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on August 26, 2023, in which police officers were implicated. According to Adejobi, a thorough investigation revealed that four officers, including DSP Peter Ejike and Inspector Esther Okafor, were responsible for the unlawful arrest of Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited.
Ejah had been transporting N74,950,000 in cash on behalf of clients when he was detained. The officers, who acted without proper authorization, misrepresented the amount seized as N31,790,000 and demanded a percentage to suppress the case.
Outraged by the officers’ conduct, the money’s owners filed a petition, leading to an investigation by the IGP Monitoring Unit. The officers involved were found culpable and appropriately sanctioned.
