Two top police officers have been dragged before the Police Service Commission (PSC) for allegedly withdrawing criminal charges preferred by the police against a businessman, Mr. Chika Ikenga.
Ikenga’s former employee, Engineer Kenneth Amadi, had petitioned the PSC, demanding sanctions against DIG, Michael Ogbizi (DIG FCID) and DCP Augustine Sanomi (CP Legal), for allegedly derailing the course of justice by withdrawing a criminal charge against the businessman without recourse to due process of law.
In his petition dated December 12, Amadi accused the two officers of being recruited by his former boss, not only to withdraw the charges but also to victimize and file an unfounded case of fraud against him (Amadi).
According to him, rather than proceed with the so-called out of court settlement upon withdrawal of the charge, DIG Ogbizi, and DCP Sanomi had written to the Ministry of Justice insisting that he be arraigned for fraud investigation did not disclose.
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Amadi, a Chemical Engineer, stated that trouble started when he resigned from Ikenga’s company, Eunisell Chemicals Limited, after 16 years of undented service, to set up his own business, which he said his former boss considered competition and allegedly swore to shut down.
The petitioner further claimed that in a bid to shut down his business, his former boss filed false various petitions to both the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging that he (Amadi) and his wife defrauded his company; an allegation, he said, the two agencies investigated and dismissed, after which the police instituted a criminal case of forgery against Ikenga.
According to Amadi, “as the EFCC was going on with its investigation, the Nigerian Police decided in its wisdom to prefer a charge of forgery against Mr. Ikenga and his cohorts.
The suit was marked CR/361/18 dated 04/10/18 and filed 05/10/18.
Amadi in the petition told PSC that notwithstanding that DCP Sanomi was in the legal department of the police and was part of the report which exonerated him, “he and DIG Ogbizi caused the charge against Mr. Ikenga to be withdrawn while the counsel who withdrew the charge informed the court that the matter would be settled out of court.
“Rather than proceed with the so-called out of court settlement upon withdrawal of the charge, DIG Ogbizi, and DCP Sanomi had written to the Ministry of Justice insisting that I be arraigned for fraud for an offense police investigation did not disclose.”
Amadi told the commission that no reason had been given for the withdrawal of the charge against his former boss, neither was he interrogated or investigated before the charge against him, a development for which he is praying PSC to investigate and sanction the officers.
