We rejected N50m bribe – Mbu

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone two, Joseph Mbu, on Thursday said his men turned down a N50million bribe offered by Bureau De Change (BDC) operators who duped their clients of N624million.

Mbu was reacting to allegations of torture leveled against his personnel by two suspects in the case Alhaji Yerima Suleiman and Uwem Antia.

The suspects had petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, requesting investigation into alleged unlawful detention, torture meted on them by the Zone two Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He described the allegation as false and mischievous, concocted by the suspects with a view to frustrate the ongoing investigations into their serial crimes.

Mbu explained that the officer in charge, Ibrahim Dantoro was offered N50million to truncate the case but he refused and informed the command about it.

According to Mbu the suspects belong to a fraud syndicate claiming to be BDC operators to obtain money from unsuspecting members of the public, calling on the suspects to come out and face trial.

He explained that Suleiman, Antia and one Reagan Edet, who is at large, in February, fraudulently obtained N424million from two of their victims with a view to provide the dollar equivalent.

Mbu stated that when the complainant brought their case to the command, it was learnt that the same suspects have defrauded another victim of N200million and the case has been reported to the EFCC.

He said the suspects were subsequently arrested by the EFCC, after which the command requested and got permission to interrogate them in relation to the case before it.

“After police interrogation, the suspects were returned back to the EFCC on April 7, within the period of court order for their detention. There was no torture or infringement of the suspects’ rights, neither did they make allegations of such while in police detention.

“While investigation was ongoing, another petition dated March 26, written by a law firm, Ayo Olubo & Co, accused the suspects and their cohorts of obtaining $2.5million.

“Our investigation further revealed that Suleiman, Antia, Edet and their cohorts are not forex dealers and do not own nor operate under any BDC. The same Alhaji Yerima Suleiman is presently being prosecuted for a similar crime at a Federal High Court in Jos since 2009. He is equally being investigated by the EFCC as unrepentant and hardened fraudster,” Mbu stated.

- The Nation