A police officer, DSP Aminu Sokoto has informed the Independent Investigative panel on Human Rights Violations by the defunct SARS and other Units of the Nigerian Police Force that one Samson Abouderin labelled him as an armed robber and a kidnapper for carrying out his official work as a police officer
Samson Abouderin has approached the panel in the case of alleged abuse of police powers, harassment, incessant arbitrary arrest and disobedience of court orders by personnel of IGP.
However, DSP Sokoto, a criminal investigator with the IGP Monitoring unit who is a police witness told the panel on Thursday that sometime in 2019 a petition was written to the Inspector General of police by one Pastor Maxwell Okaura and it was referred to him for investigation.
He noted that during the cause of carrying out the investigation the complainant has labelled him so many names including arm robbery and that necessitated the NHRC to accompany Samson to the Force headquarters to lay a complaint and the complaint response team of the police investigated the matter and he was allegedly exonerated of the charge against him.
Narrating further he told the panel how Samson during investigation told him he is a staff of presidential Initiative on North East which is under the office of the vice president.
According to the police witness, in the course of his investigation, DSP Aminu wrote a letter to the office of the Vice President seeking clarification on the complainant.
Following this, a letter was written from the office signed by the vice-chairman of the presidential committee that Samson was not a staff of the office.
Aminu said investigations were concluded and the following was established against him: impersonation perjury and the report of the investigation was sent to the police legal department for advice.
And CSP Ijeoma according to Sokoto advised that the complainant be charged to court.
Furthermore, DSP Sokoto said the complainant also told the panel that in his petition that he and Barr. Ijeoma pointed a gun at him. Meanwhile, he told the panel that he has never met or worked with Ijeoma and that they only met at the court during the process of hearing the Complainant’s case.
Meanwhile, counsel to the complainant Austin Okpe told the panel that his client was charged for impersonation, conspiracy and perjury which he is seeking to clear and his pleading with the panel to investigate the allegations and establish the truth.
Also testifying as witness Maxwell Okaura told the panel that the complainant came to him for an advanced quick cash loan which he gave him and he later came for more but he couldn’t pay and an agreement was reached for his car to be sold.
In another development, Chairman of the Independent Investigative Panel on SARS, Justice Suleiman Galadima (rtd,) asked ACP Magawate Mode to assist the panel with vital information that will enhance its ability to serve justice appropriately.
Specifically, Justice Galadima rtd requested that the ACP furnish the panel with a sequential list of DPO’s who had served in Maitama, Abuja from 2013 – 2020.
In a case of alleged intimidation, Disobedience of court order and confiscation of properties, counsel to the petitioner had failed to provide the name of the DPO linked to the matter.
The petitioner had cited a certain DPO ( no name provided) as being at the helm of affairs in Maitama in 2013 when he ran into trouble with the Police.
Hon. Ngozi Ihuoma (the petitioner) alleged that the police harassed him, and in connivance with Union Bank Nigeria PLC confiscated his car.
Ihuoma also told the 11-man fact-finding panel that the matter which was decided in his favour in a court of law has not yielded much, as the police have failed to honour the awards as directed.
Appearing before the panel on Thursday was a former DPO of Maitama, ACP Matawale, now ACP FCT Command.
Mattawale, the panel observed, was not the DPO at Maitama within the period under review as he had served from 2017 to 2020.
To enable it to make progress, the Chairman of the panel, appealed to ACP Magawate to assist with the list of DPO’s from 2013 to date.
The case was adjourned to 15th December 2021 for defence.
