By Eric Elezuo
Over two months ago, a police officer, SP Ibrahim Ezekiel Sini, demystified the hitherto acceptable myth that there’s no good policeman. The now talked about cop rejected a bribe of N150 million, thereby recreating and redefining an almost battered image of the Nigeria Police Force.
Sini, who is not new to integrity and honesty, said that he did what he did for the sake of his peace of mind.
It is a well known fact that the issue bribery has been so damaging to the image of the force, and country at large. It therefore, sounds strange to hear that an officer of the force indeed turned down a whopping sum of N150 million to look the other way.
THE STORY BEHIND THE FEAT
As reported by various media arms including ThosDay, the following explains the path that led to the heroic story of Superintendent of Police Sini.
Sini is currently serving with the Counter Intelligence Unit (CIU) which is domiciled in the Force Intelligence Department (FID) of the Nigeria Police Force. The unit is saddled with the responsibility of gathering intelligence and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage and subversion or counteracting threats posed by hostile intelligence services against the Nigeria Police Force. The unit also conducts discrete investigations on related matters as directed by the office of the Inspector General (IG) of Police through the office of the Deputy Inspector (DIG) General of Police, Force Intelligence Department.
Sometime last year, following a petition to the IGP, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) AbduYari Lafia assigned the case to the CIU headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Edwin Eloho and assisted by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mohammed Lawan. DCP Elohor gave Sini and his team (including DSP Abu Inwanfero) the task of unravelling the claim of fraud and diversion of funds against the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Duport Midstream Company Limited, Dr Akintoye Akindele. According to the petition, Akindele was said to have diverted the sum of $5,636,397.01 and N73,543,763.25 belonging to Summit Oil Limited to his personal use.
However, in the course of the investigation, Akindele was alleged to have offered the sum of N150 million to the investigators to compromise their findings. According to the police officer, the defendant offered him a bribe to, among other things, admit him to bail, write a report in his favour and also release his international passport to enable him to travel abroad. Sini informed his boss, DCP Eloho, who sent a signal through the chain of command up to the IGP and got approval to play along with the defendant to see if he’ll follow through on the inducement.
Consequently, an account was given into which the defendant made a part payment of N50 million. Upon the payment of the deposit, the force set up a separate investigation team whose findings led to the filing of a one-count charge of bribery against Akindele before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August last year.
The one count criminal charge marked CR/595/2023 states that between August 5 and 9 2023 in Abuja, while being investigated by SP Ibrahim Ezekiel Sini and his team on a petition submitted to the Inspector General of Police FIB by Summit Oil International Limited on allegation of diversion of the sum of $5,636,397.01 and N73,543,763.25, Akindele “offered gratification of N150,000,000.00 and made part payment of N50,000,000.00 to SP Ibrahim Sini, a public servant in circumstance and to allow you to escape abroad and to write a report in your favour.”
Akindele, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and has since been admitted to bail in the sum of N500 million. The bribery trial is ongoing just as Akindele and his company, Duport Midstream are being tried for $5.6 million fraud at the Federal High Court, Abuja. In the four-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/570/2023, they were said to have committed the act between 2017 and 2021, when they allegedly converted the said sum received from Shell West into personal use.
While we await the outcome of the two cases, it is worthy of note that the police found the conduct of Sini, the CIU and the FID worthy of commendation and are now celebrating them for their resolve to uphold the principles of justice and impartiality.
The conduct of Sini and his team members have showcased their professional competence as well as their unwavering commitment to ethical standards, which the police and Nigeria can be proud of.
In celebration of the professional conduct, the Police had awarded the cop for his steadfastness.
The Police Spokesman, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the award was aimed at recognizing and celebrating the bravery, dedication, and professionalism exhibited by officers in the line of duty.
“It represents a continuation of the transformative agenda set forth by the IGP to foster a culture of excellence, integrity, and accountability within the Force.”
“While we celebrate the achievements of our officers, it is imperative to reiterate the Nigeria Police Force’s unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. The Awards Night serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and responsibility within law enforcement, and we remain vigilant in sanctioning any misconduct or violation of the code of conduct,” he added.
In addition, SP Sini has been gifted a plot of land in Abuja by an Abuja based businessman, Chikwuemeka Okoye, for his exemplary act, and praised for projecting the police in a positive light.
The FCT Police Commissioner CP Benneth Igweh, who presented the award, praised SP Sini’s integrity and ethical stance, while Organizers hailed his exemplary conduct, emphasizing the importance of integrity in law enforcement and society.
