The Police Headquarters in Abuja has announced its decision to prosecute the dismissed officers from Kwara State on charges of conspiracy, theft, and false and malicious publication.
This response came after a video of the two former officers, Sergeant Shola Akano and Corporal Babatunde Glorious, went viral, where they contested their dismissal from the Kwara State Command.
The police clarified that their intention was to set the record straight and address the trending allegations. CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), stated that in the video and publication, the ex-officers claimed their dismissal was unjust and resulted from their refusal to accept a bribe to compromise an ongoing investigation.
To ensure transparency and reaffirm the integrity of the disciplinary process, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) initiated a re-assessment of their case. After a thorough review by the Special Investigation Unit at the Force Criminal Investigations Department in Abuja, it was found that the dismissed officers were assigned to the Public Complaint Bureau within the Office of the Public Relations Officer in the Kwara State Police Command. Their primary duty was to address complaints lodged by the public concerning instances of police unprofessionalism and misconduct.
He said: “Unfortunately, during the course of investigating a case of conspiracy and advance fee fraud in February 2020, they engaged in misconduct that warranted their dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force.
“In the course of investigating the case, the duo arrested two suspects -one Fatai Ridwan Olarewaju and one Awogbemi Samuel Olayinka, a student of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State.
“On 7th February 2020, the officers booked and took one of the suspects, Fatai Ridwan Olarewaju, from the police cell where he was detained to a Zenith Bank branch at Unity Road, Ilorin where they coerced the suspect into withdrawing the sum of N1,190,000 from his account, which was collected by Corporal Glorious.”
Adejobi explained that after this incident, the suspect was taken back to the cell, and later that day, he was released on administrative bail. Surprisingly, the withdrawn sum, two mobile phones, and other personal belongings were not returned to him as they should have been.
Rather than adhering to the correct procedure, Sgt. Shola Akano and Corporal Babatunde Glorious chose to extort more money from the suspect in an attempt to close the case which amounted to further acts of extortion.
“These actions were in direct violation of their duties and code of conduct as police officers, and it prompted Mr. Fatai to report the matter to the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the IGP X-Squad for investigation. Subsequently, verifiable evidence, including the conversion of one of the mobile phones, an iPhone 11 Pro, for personal use by Corporal Glorious, was presented during their trial.
“Based on a thorough examination of the evidence and the testimonies of all parties involved, the duo were found guilty and dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force. It is essential to note that the same complaint of wrongful dismissal was made by the officers before the #EndSARS panel in Ilorin, and their dismissal was upheld after a careful review of the evidence and testimonies from all concerned parties.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to ensuring discipline, accountability, and professionalism within its ranks, and condemn any form of misconduct while assuring the public that necessary actions will always be taken to maintain the trust reposed in the Police. The dismissal of Sgt. Shola Akano and Corporal Babatunde Glorious clearly underscore our commitment to weeding out bad elements from the Force and upholding the values of justice and fairness,” he stated.