By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin City
In last Saturday’s Vanguard, Sergeant Gbenga Joseph who used to be with the Edo State Police command exposed the corruption being perpetrated by a senior officer in the command. Sgt Joseph who was with the state’s  Criminal Investigation Department (CID), until his shocking dismissal from the force last November, made some startling  revelations on how detained armed robbery suspects are released from detention by some of his bosses after receiving gratifications from relatives of the suspects.

He also disclosed how three arson suspects were released while three innocent persons were arrested from the streets to replace them and they still  languishing in cell. After the report, our reporter got a call from the command lambasting him   for allowing Gbenga, a graduate of International Relations, University of Ife, used him.    Gbenga    is aggrieved due to the way   his bosses conspired to dismiss him from the force prematurely.

Barr Ochie Ernest, a Human Rights lawyer...they are removing some files that will indict them

Since the shocking revelation, Saturday  Vanguard learnt that officers at the Command have intensified efforts to arrest Gbenga and he has been given the assurance of being recalled back to his work if he keeps a sealed lip. It was also gathered that some of the affected officers at the Command are making frantic efforts to doctor some of the files mentioned by Gbenga, particularly the three suspects involved in an  arson case and the three Fulani armed robbers that were allegedly  released after some officers collected a specified amount of money.

This situation was confirmed to Saturday Vanguard, by the Counsel to Gbenga, Barr. Ochie Ernest, a Human Rights lawyer.

Meanwhile, a Benin socio-cultural organization, the Benin National Congress (BNC), has condemned what it described as the “evil” activities of some of the top cops in the state command and called on the Inspector General of Police, Ogbonnaya Onovo to investigate the matter and bring the affected officers to book.

The President of the BNC, Aiyemenkhue Edokpolo, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard, recalled that “we in Benin City experienced such in the 80s when one Iyamu was releasing criminals and arming them to go out and commit havoc after which they will come back and share the loot with him.

No body knew what was happening until the Anini saga started and it exposed all their evil deeds. We are glad that the current chairman of the Police Service Commission, Parry Osayande was one of those who handled the matter as a super cop he busted the then notorious Anini gang. So we are calling on him to rise up to the occasion again, officer like this are  supposed to be saddled with the responsibility of protecting the millions of lives of Edo people.

We are aware that some of these officers have god-fathers who protect them in Abuja. As a result, they feel they can toy with the lives of our people. But we want to warn that this matter must not be swept under the carpet or we will protest the streets of Benin until justice is done.

However, Counsel to dismissed Gbenga Joseph, Barr. Ochie, spoke with Saturday Vanguard on recent issues on the matter and other issues.

Excerpts:

We learnt you were invited at the Command, can we know what is happening now on the issue?

What they are doing now is that some officers  from the Edo State Police Command are trying to remove some facts from confessional statements, especially the area where Gbenga, the dismissed cop mentioned that the officer   released some armed robbery suspects that cannot be found up till now.

The information is that they are removing some files that will indict them. Secondly, on the issue of Gbenga being dismissed without giving fair hearing in the trial.

During investigation when Gbenga was in the police cell, an officer, attached to the Command, was given instruction by the officer to freeze  the account of Gbenga’s wife, one Mrs Comfort Olubaniyi, with First Bank Account Number, 3873010033099, her account was frozen by this man without even this woman being indicted in any statement by Gbenga who was being detained in the Police cell. Also frozen was the account of Gbenga’s mother-in-law.

This is unconstitutional because these persons have a right to their accounts.  It  has affected them immensely because they have no money to feed their children, their businesses have collapsed.

This is a constitutional right that must be redressed and on that basis we filed an enforcement of fundamental human right in the Federal High Court, against the Commissioner of Police Edo State and the First Bank on the frozen account.

We filed with suit number FAC/B/CS/296/09 and on the 21st December, 2009.  While     Gbenga and I were at the  court over the issue, Gbenga received a text message from the controversial officer that he should deposit some money in an account if he wants to be reinstated.

This is to the effect that Gbenga who has earlier been dismissed should send some money to this account for his reinstatement. We have already applied to MTN for the print out of this message from the officer and we intend to use to it as exhibit.

We must also address the issue of the Okpilla arson, where houses were burnt. A crime was committed in Afo Okpilla, on the 18th of March, 2008, where a boy was killed by some cultists.  Three key suspects were arrested and they were later released and are still roaming the streets as freemen.

We are aware that if this controversial officer is not removed from  the Command and made to  face disciplinary action, the Inspector General of Police should then forget the issue of sanitizing the police. We have already written a petition to the ICPC complaining about all these atrocities and yet nothing has been done.

We want to call on the IG, the Police Service Commission and other well meaning Nigerians that the activities of some of the officers in the Edo Command should be investigated, particularly on the issues raised.

We have the facts to prove that these officers are very corrupt and wicked to Nigerians because after releasing these criminals, they still go back to hunt innocent citizens. Bad eggs in the police should not be tolerated.

The IG can only do a good job by investigating these issues because these officers are tarnishing the name of the force.

We are aware that they are tampering with the files of some of these suspects but we still have enough evidence to nail them.