Police to IIP-SARS: We charged petitioner to court with giving false information

The Police on Wednesday cited “falsehood” as being the reason why a petitioner, one Bashir Ahmed was charged to court.

Making this disclosure before the Independent Investigative Panel (IIP) on human rights violations by defunct (SARS) and other units of the Nigerian Police Force, the DPO Abdullahi Ishaq, who is among the six people linked to the case of alleged threat to life, cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment of Bashir Ahmed, informed the panel that investigations into a complaint brought before his area command showed that the petitioner had misled the police.

Narrating further, Mr Ahmed stated that the petitioner, in his statement, provided the phone number of the police officer (one Saleh) whom he claimed kidnapped and requested ransom from him.

“The telephone number has never worked since it was given till date,” the DPO stated.

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According to the DPO, the petitioner also provided the account details of the police officer who had asked that the money meant for ransom be paid into his Diamond bank account.

In his words, the DPO stated that “we wrote an administrative letter to Diamond Bank requesting for the identity of the account holder, and a printout of his transactions from 1st January to July 2018.”

According to him, having access to this information would have helped in knowing if the account holder is indeed a police officer as alleged.

He however stated that the bank did not honour their request.

The pertitioner also alleged in his report to the police that the officers who kidnapped, extorted and maltreated him also drove in a police van with number plate NPF 343512.

Commenting on the above, the DPO noted that every police vehicle number had only four digits and ends with alphabets that can be directly linked to a department.

“It was on the grounds of conspiracy, defamation of character, false information meant to mislead that we charged Bashir to magistrate court Zaria where he was convicted,” the DPO stated.

In a petition before the 11-man fact-finding panel, Bashir Ahmed stated that he was arrested on the orders of an unknown Military officer on the 4th July 2018 by some police officers attached to the defunct SARS between Samaru and Shika hospital Sabon Gari Local Govt of Kaduna State.

Bashir told the panel that he was taken into the bush and flogged for ninety minutes, and that an account number was given for him to pay into but was later paid in cash.

Counsel to the respondents, Malik D. Taiwo Esq closed his case before the panel.

Chino Obiagwu SAN, lead counsel to the panel, assisting the petitioner was directed by the chairman of the panel, Justice Suleiman Galadima (retd) to serve within one week, a written address to the police counsel.

Panel adjourned to December 13th, 2021 for adoption of written addresses.