A Nigerian businessman, Mr. Afeez Mojeed, has written a petition to the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry revealing how Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, extorted him of over N41m.
The businessman explained that the incident happened in 2014 where he was detained for 14 days and Kyari, who was then Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos, oversaw the extortion and sale of his car as well as his other belongings.
Narrating his ordeal, Mojeed said he was in the house together with his wife when some gun-wielding persons barged in, took some of his properties, and arrested him.
He said in the petition, “It is our client’s brief that on 18th October 2014 at about 8.30 pm — 9.00 pm, he was at home his wife who was five months pregnant, his 18-month old son and his mother-in-law, when suddenly he heard a bang on his door and within minutes, the banging continued unabated and he started hearing loud noise screaming "Open the door now or you will hate yourself if we come in".
“That our client and his people were confused as they did not know what was going on and who was after their lives. Before one could say "Jack Robinson" his house door had been pulled down and four impostors burst in with guns in their hands and asked them to lie face down and started ransacking the house.
“In the process, they forcefully took his wedding ring and that of his wife from them, opened their wardrobe and took the sum of N280, 000 (Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira Only) and the sum of N50, 0OO (Fifty Thousand Naira only) was also taken from his car, after which the Honda Accord (2008) model car was seized and taken away till today.”
He listed as some of the items taken from him as iPhone 5 worth N135,000, Airtel Phone — N7, 000, Nokia Phone – 15000, German invitation letter, landed properties documents, two shops documents, a set of wedding rings, dell laptop, Diamond Bank cheque book, Zenith Bank cheque book, and Zenith Bank ATM card.
He added that he was detained at SARS office in Ikeja for 14 days and later arraigned on trumped-up charges.
The businessman, however, noted that within the 14 days he unlawfully spent in the custody of SARS, Kyari and his cronies extorted him of millions of naira.
“He was later arraigned in court on trump-up charge of stealing N97, 000, 000 (Ninety-seven Million Naira only) and for over one (l) year the matter was in court, the police never showed up or brought any witness, after several adjournments, which made the court to strike out the charge against him.
“It needs to be pointed out that, while in detention, the police under the supervision and threat by Abba Kyari (OC SARS) forced him to sign Three (3) Zenith Bank cheques in the sum of N150, 000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only) each making N450, 000 (Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only) in total on 22nd - 23rd October, 2014 and gave same to One Alabi Olawale Nurudeen who is also one of their cronies to withdraw.
“They also forcefully obtained the password to his ATM card of this same bank with which they withdrew from his account severally from 20th – 23rd October 2014 to the tone of N395,000.
“As if these were not enough, the police, led by one Inspector Fola, Corporal Bolu Corporal Akeem under the directive of Abba Kyari and J. Okeke (Second in Command SARS) Ikeja then took our client to Diamond Bank, Ajah Branch, on 23rd and 24th October, 2014 to forcefully transfer the sum of N41, 000, 000 (Forty-one Million Naira only) and N800, 000 (Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) respectively from his corporate account M. Mateen Concepts into the account of one Obinna Edward, whom our client had never seen or heard of before, after which they shared the money.”
He informed the panel that all the acts were perpetrated as they inflicted him with serious injuries from brutalisation, forcing him to sign cheque books and reveal passcode to his bank account.
In search of justice, Mojeed had written petitions to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and National Human Rights Commission in 2016 and 2018 respectively with no result.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel began hearing on Tuesday and has asked members of the public to submit all complaints and petitions about the now-disbanded SARS unit to it.
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