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Reports reaching BlackBox Nigeria indicate that a Lagos-Based businessman, Afeez Mojeed has accused Abba Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police (DCP), of extorting over N41 million from him.
Kyari, who currently heads the intelligence response team (IRT) of the inspector-general of police, was alleged to have carried out the extortion in 2014 when he was the officer in charge of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) in Lagos, albeit now dissolved due to public outcry.
Mojeed had sought justice through a number of petitions between 2016 and 2018 submitted to the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Unfortunately, all his efforts proved abortive.
However, he recently filed a new petition on October 22, 2020, through his counsel, Salawu Akingbolu & Co, which was addressed to the newly formed judicial panel of inquiry and restitution for victims of SARS-related abuses created by the Lagos State Government. Mojeed accused Kyari and his officers of forcefully carting away with about 32 items when the latter and his team raided his house in 2014.
According to Mojeed, the night of October 18, 2014, marked the beginning of his ordeal in the hands of Kyari and his men. That day, four gun-wielding SARS officers broke into his house, and allegedly took his belongings such as phones, landed properties, cheque books, bank cards and other valuable documents. Mojeed had thought his home was being attacked by armed robbers.
But that was not the end. Mojeed reportedly spent fourteen days in detention as he was taken to the SARS office in Ikeja. This happened between October 18 and October 31, 2014. While in detention, he was forced to sign three Bank cheques totalling N450, 000 under Kyari’s watch. Also, the password to his bank card was allegedly obtained by the police and a sum of N395,000 was withdrawn from Mojeed’s account between October 20 and October 23, 2014.
According to The Cable, Mojeed was taken to Diamond Bank, Ajah Branch by “one Inspector Fola, Corporal Bolu and Corporal Akeem” who forced him to “transfer the sum of 41 Million and N800,000 respectively from his corporate account M. Mateen Concepts into the account of one Obinna Edward.” This extortion was allegedly done on the directive of the then OC, Abba Kyari.
The unlawful actions of these police officers, as stated by his counsel in the petition, have inflicted serious injuries on Mojeed “due to a series of slaps and beatings for them to get access to his ATM password, signature on cheques and also transfer from his account.”
Kyari was confronted by the counsel as to why Mojeed’s possession were illegally seized without a court order but Kyari reportedly said the money had been kept as an “exhibit”. His reason was that Mojeed was an internet fraudster. Allegedly, Mojeed’s counsel was alo threatened for refusing to “cooperate” with Kyari.
The petition added that “He (Kyari) also went further that there was another N15 million in another account, that the counsel should cooperate with him to take it the way they took N41 million and a sum of N5 million would be given to him while they would take N10 million.”
Ganiu Oloruntade
