By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Concerned APC youths, Edo State have petitioned the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, over alleged plan to stall the investigation of a former Commissioner representing the state in the Public Complaints Commission, PCC, Mr. Bamidele Balogun.

The youths have, in a letter to the IGP, entitled ‘Attempt to cover-up investigation by the Nigerian Police Force, Abuja,” alleged that one Denis, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, had boasted that he will ensure that the report of the police investigation on the matter did not see the light of the day.

The Concerned APC youths, in the letter signed by Omorodion Osayade, Elighiator Ehinoman and Isreal Okomayin, Chairman, Secretary and Public Relations Officer, PRO, respectively, alleged that the said Denis boasted that he was going to use his connection with the police hierarchy to ensure that nothing was heard of the police investigation.

According to the letter, the former Commissioner with the PCC and candidate of the PDP in the 2015 House of Representatives election for Akoko Edo Federal Constituency of Edo State was alleged to have been  collecting salaries from the Commission up till February 2015, when he had claimed that he resigned from the PCC in 2014. This the group stated necessitated a petition to the Force Headquarters in 2015 as, according to the youths, the alleged action of the PDP candidate in the election ran contrary to the provisions of the  laws. The letter stated, “After the presentation of the petition to the Nigeria Police, proper investigation was carried out with the Public Complaints Commission as well as the bank where the salaries were allegedly paid. “This ought to have necessitated the interrogation of Bankole Bamidele Balogun, but, he was issued a letter of request to come in person to the Force Headquarters and was let go after police had allegedly recovered from him the government property in his custody. “However, we are authoritatively informed that a certain Denis, a stalwart of the opposition party in Edo State who claimed to be very connected to the top police hierarchy, has vowed to kill the case.”

“It is against this bacdrop that we call on you (the IGP) to kindly intervene to ensure that justice is done as you have demonstrated in several other cases.”