Police commissioner arrested with N2.7 million will be punished – Official

The Nigeria Police Force on Sunday said there would be
no cover-up in the case of the Assistant Commissioner
of Police arrested with N2.7 million bribe money.
The Head, Compliant Response Unit, CRU, Abayomi
Shogunle, disclosed this in an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja.
He said the police had taken all necessary actions
provided in the Police Act and Regulations in respect of
the case.
He added that “I don’t see anybody covering up this
particular case because the necessary actions needed to
be taken, the normal disciplinary procedure as provided
under the Police Act and Regulations are being
followed.”
Mr. Shogunle, an assistant commissioner of police, said
the officer in question had already been issued a query
and a criminal investigation had been conducted by the
X-squad.
The officer had since responded to the query and had
faced the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC), he said.
Mr. Shogunle added that the FDC had made its
recommendations to the Inspector-General of Police, IG,
which had been forwarded to the Police Service
Commission, PSC, for ratification.
“The processes needed have been done and all we are
just waiting for is the recommendations of the PSC,” he
said.
He pointed out that it was when the Commission
informed the IG on the matter that the CRU would in turn
inform the public.
Mr. Shogunle said the IG had directed the unit to ensure
that it discharged its responsibilities without impunity
in line with its motto.
“One of the things the I-G has tasked the CRU, which is
no to impunity, is that the unit should ensure that it
upholds that motto,” he added.
It would be recalled that information about the recovery
of the N2.7 million bribe money from the officer in
question was made known in the third quarter report of
the CRU, signed by Acting Assistant Commissioner of
Police Abayomi Shogunle, Head of CRU in Abuja.
The report said the recovery followed a complaint made
to the CRU through a telephone call.
On alleged preferential treatment for senior officers, Mr.
Shogunle said the unit had taken up all cases against all
police officers irrespective of their ranks.
“Probably, we get more complaints against the junior
ranks because they interact more with members of the
public.
“They are the ones that are always out on the streets.
So it is possible you will get more complaints against
them than the senior officers.”
Mr. Shogunle assured that all complaints irrespective of
the ranks of the persons would be treated based on
merit, adding that the rule of law would always prevail.
The CRU head said that the inclusion of the X-squad
unit of the police was yielding result.
“One of the breakthroughs we have had as contained in
the CRU third quarter report was actually done by the x-
squad.
“This is the kind of things the public should expect with
the inclusion of the squad by the IG in the fight against
corruption,” he said.
He said there was cordial working relationship between
the Nigeria Police Force through the CRU and human
rights groups in the country.
“As a matter of fact, we have a committee made up of
these organisations to review policing operations
nationwide
“We hear from them issues of policing and also give
them feedback on their cases that were handled by the
CRU,” he said.

(NAN)
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