A key investigator of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abubakar Aliyu Madaki has petitioned
Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris over the arrest and
prosecution of cousins on alleged trumped-up charges by the
Nasarawa Police Command.
He alleged that his cousins were allegedly framed up because a
businessman was arrested by the EFCC.
He said the businessman, who had accused t him of being behind
his arrest, was allegedly on a revenge mission.
He said his cousins had been taken to prison for committing no
offence.
Madaki claimed that his cousins were put in prison because the
businessman accused them of plotting to kill him and for allegedly
disrupting the peace in Gunduma Village.
The EFCC operative lodged his protest to the IG through a
petition by his lawyer, Mahmud Abubakar Magaji (SAN).
The petition said in part: “Based on a petition by an unknown
whistle-blower against one Alhaji Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari of Kaduna
Road, opposite Gunduma Garage, Gunduma, Karu LGA, Nasarawa State,
he was arrested by the EFCC sometime in March 2017 for some alleged
offences.
However shortly after his release on bail by the EFCC, he
accused our client (Abubakar Aliyu Madaki) of being the
whistleblower that reported him to EFCC.
He openly vowed to some people that know our client that he
would fight our client. Sequel to Zari’s complaint to the Nasarawa
State Police Command, our client was arrested on or about the 24th
June 2017, a day before Sallah and taken to Lafia but later
released on bail.
“Given that Zari was not happy with his arrest, he framed
injurious falsehood against our client and some of his cousins
alleging that our client had planned with his cousins/ relatives
namely: Yahaya Balarabe, Tanko Jibrin, Shehu Jibrin and Hashimu
Ibrahim to kill him and disrupt public peace in Gunduma
“In executing his sinister plans, Zari came with the Deputy
Commissioner of Police to our client’s community and arrested his
cousins.
“Sadly, our client’s cousins were arrested, manhandled and taken
to Zari’s house where they were detained and compelled to implicate
our client but they refused.”
The EFCC investigator said following his initial protest, the
IGP directed that the case file be brought to the Force
Headquarters from Nasarawa Command for a “thorough
investigation.”
He said the file was later sent to Lafia for prosecution but he
did not have faith in the Nasarawa State Police Command.
He said the Force Headquarters recommended that the
“businessman(Zari) be charged for giving false information while
some of our client’s cousin and the boys engaged by Zari to foment
trouble in Gunduma be charged for breaching public peace.
Following his protest over lack of faith in Nasarawa State
Police Command, the file was brought back to Abuja and sent to the
Director of Public Prosecution, Federal Ministry of Justice.
He said while awaiting the DPP’s advice, the Nasarawa Police
command only arraigned his cousins in court and spared the
businessman and the thugs he allegedly used to cause trouble in
Gunduma.
The petition added: “Based on police hierarchy of command, one
would have expected that once a case file is transferred from the
State Command to the Force Headquarter for further and thorough
investigation that the report of investigation from the Force
Headquarters will supersede any other investigation report from the
state command.
“However, we are surprised that in utter disrespect to the
authority of IGP, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State
decided to dump the report from the Force Headquarters and charged
our client and his relatives with criminal offences before the High
Court of Nasarawa State.”
A police source said: “The petitioner was insincere. There was
breach of peace in Gunduma Village involving attack on the
businessman (Zari) and his cousins were arrested and
prosecuted.
“If you commit an offence in Nasarawa, the appropriate place for
trial is the affected state. We cannot arraign the investigator’s
cousin in Abuja. As a matter of fact, the DPP of the Federal
Ministry of Justice has nothing to do with the case.
“The Nasarawa State Police Command is not frivolous. It was a
pure case of communal clash.We conducted investigation and charged
the suspects to a High Court. In exercising discretion, the court
remanded the suspects in prison.We allowed justice to take its
course.”
A key investigator of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abubakar Aliyu Madaki has petitioned
Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris over the arrest and
prosecution of cousins on alleged trumped-up charges by the
Nasarawa Police Command.
He alleged that his cousins were allegedly framed up because a
businessman was arrested by the EFCC.
He said the businessman, who had accused t him of being behind
his arrest, was allegedly on a revenge mission.
He said his cousins had been taken to prison for committing no
offence.
Madaki claimed that his cousins were put in prison because the
businessman accused them of plotting to kill him and for allegedly
disrupting the peace in Gunduma Village.
The EFCC operative lodged his protest to the IG through a
petition by his lawyer, Mahmud Abubakar Magaji (SAN).
The petition said in part: “Based on a petition by an unknown
whistle-blower against one Alhaji Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari of Kaduna
Road, opposite Gunduma Garage, Gunduma, Karu LGA, Nasarawa State,
he was arrested by the EFCC sometime in March 2017 for some alleged
offences.
However shortly after his release on bail by the EFCC, he
accused our client (Abubakar Aliyu Madaki) of being the
whistleblower that reported him to EFCC.
He openly vowed to some people that know our client that he
would fight our client. Sequel to Zari’s complaint to the Nasarawa
State Police Command, our client was arrested on or about the 24th
June 2017, a day before Sallah and taken to Lafia but later
released on bail.
“Given that Zari was not happy with his arrest, he framed
injurious falsehood against our client and some of his cousins
alleging that our client had planned with his cousins/ relatives
namely: Yahaya Balarabe, Tanko Jibrin, Shehu Jibrin and Hashimu
Ibrahim to kill him and disrupt public peace in Gunduma
“In executing his sinister plans, Zari came with the Deputy
Commissioner of Police to our client’s community and arrested his
cousins.
“Sadly, our client’s cousins were arrested, manhandled and taken
to Zari’s house where they were detained and compelled to implicate
our client but they refused.”
The EFCC investigator said following his initial protest, the
IGP directed that the case file be brought to the Force
Headquarters from Nasarawa Command for a “thorough
investigation.”
He said the file was later sent to Lafia for prosecution but he
did not have faith in the Nasarawa State Police Command.
He said the Force Headquarters recommended that the
“businessman(Zari) be charged for giving false information while
some of our client’s cousin and the boys engaged by Zari to foment
trouble in Gunduma be charged for breaching public peace.
Following his protest over lack of faith in Nasarawa State
Police Command, the file was brought back to Abuja and sent to the
Director of Public Prosecution, Federal Ministry of Justice.
He said while awaiting the DPP’s advice, the Nasarawa Police
command only arraigned his cousins in court and spared the
businessman and the thugs he allegedly used to cause trouble in
Gunduma.
The petition added: “Based on police hierarchy of command, one
would have expected that once a case file is transferred from the
State Command to the Force Headquarter for further and thorough
investigation that the report of investigation from the Force
Headquarters will supersede any other investigation report from the
state command.
“However, we are surprised that in utter disrespect to the
authority of IGP, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State
decided to dump the report from the Force Headquarters and charged
our client and his relatives with criminal offences before the High
Court of Nasarawa State.”
A police source said: “The petitioner was insincere. There was
breach of peace in Gunduma Village involving attack on the
businessman (Zari) and his cousins were arrested and
prosecuted.
“If you commit an offence in Nasarawa, the appropriate place for
trial is the affected state. We cannot arraign the investigator’s
cousin in Abuja. As a matter of fact, the DPP of the Federal
Ministry of Justice has nothing to do with the case.
“The Nasarawa State Police Command is not frivolous. It was a
pure case of communal clash.We conducted investigation and charged
the suspects to a High Court. In exercising discretion, the court
remanded the suspects in prison.We allowed justice to take its
course.”