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Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris sues the Senate, Bukola Saraki over fraud allegations
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, on Thursday, filed a suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, seeking an order restraining the Senate and Senate President ,Bukola Saraki from going ahead with their plan to investigate allegations of malpractices against him.
The lawmaker, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, Isah Misau, of the All Progressives Congress, had alleged, among others, that the IG collected about N10bn monthly from some firms and highly-placed Nigerians for giving them security cover.
Misau, a former police officer before being elected to the Senate, also accused Idris of granting fraudulent promotions to undeserving police operatives.
Misau, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, had, on August 25 accused Idris of extorting money, ranging from N10m to N15m, from Commissioners of Police, State Mobile Commanders and Special Protection Units Commanders, for favourable postings.
He had argued that the level of corruption being perpetrated by Idris was so alarming and capable of undermining the anti-corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The IG had denied these allegations while the Force Headquarters had accused Misau of leaving the force with forged retirement papers.
Idris had alleged that Misau was a deserter.
In his fundamental rights enforcement suit marked FCT/HC/CV/3158/17, the IG asked the court to declare both the Senate committee, set up to probe the allegations and the conduct of the committee as unconstitutional, null and void.
He also wants the court to make an order restraining the committee from inviting him, sitting, conducting any hearing on the allegation, discussing or making any report in respect of the planned investigation pending the determination of his suit.
Saraki had mandated the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the circumstances surrounding Misau’s disengagement from the Nigeria Police.
Through his team of lawyers, led by Charles Ogolu, Idris contended that the Senate President, without regard to relevant constitutional requirements in respect of the role of the Senate in investigations of allegations, set up the committee “in reaction to “these frivolous allegations” by Misau.
As part of his grounds of the suit, the IG states, “The applicant is a law-abiding citizen and has fundamental right to dignity of person under Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) (as amended), and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.
“The applicant occupies a hallowed office as the Inspector-General of Police in Nigeria and is thus in charge of all police officers in Nigeria.
“One Senator Isa Misau, a member of the 2nd respondent (Senate), while raising a matter of urgent national importance, had sometime between September and October 2017, alleged that the applicant instituted roadblocks across Nigeria with the purpose of extorting money from unsuspecting motorists.
“The said Senator, while commenting on his motion, equally alleged that the applicant collects illegal fees by way of security protection given to corporate organisations, eminent citizens and oil companies running into billions of naira.
“The said Senator equally rained a personal attack on the person of the applicant that the applicant is having unwholesome relationship with the female officers in the force.
“Without the 1st respondent (Saraki), having regard to the relevant constitutional requirements in respect of the 2nd respondent’s role in investigations of allegations, he, in reaction to these frivolous allegations, quickly constituted a committee consisting members of the 2nd Respondent to look into the matter.”
The IGP contended that “the act of the first respondent (Saraki) in constituting the committee is ultra vires, unconstitutional, null and void.”
He added, “The said committee so constituted is acting ultra vires, unconstitutional, null and void.”
The Senate President had named the Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena, as Chairman of the panel; and senators Joshua Lidani, Binta Masi Garba, Duro Faseyi, Nelson Effiong, Obinna Ogba, Abdul-Azeez Murtala-Nyako and Suleiman Hunkuyi as members.
But the Federal Government had, on Tuesday, through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, filed two separate sets of charges against Misau, accusing the Senator in one set of spreading injurious falsehood against the IG.
Faulting the constitutionality of the committee set up by the Senate to investigate him, the IGP is therefore seeking, “A declaration that the committee set up by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate the allegations against Mr. Ibrahim Idris is unconstitutional, null and void.
“A declaration that the sitting and other conduct of such constituted committee to investigate the allegations against Mr. Idris are unconstitutional, null and void.
“An order restraining the Senate Committee howsoever designated from sitting, inviting Mr. Ibrahim Idris, hearing or taking a decision, against the current Inspector-General of Police, pending the determination of this suit.
“An order restraining the President of the Senate and the entire Senate from receiving and discussing any report submitted to it by the committee set up to investigate the allegation against Mr. Ibrahim Idris pending the determination of this suit.”
IG, Misau’s foreign trips frustrate Senate probe
Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which is investigating alleged corruption and misconduct against the IG, explained why it had delayed invitations to Idris and Misau, the IG’s accuser.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Sam Anyanwu, told The PUNCH on Thursday that the panel had yet to start working as both Misau and Idris had not been around to answer its invitations.
“We understand that the IG is out of the country and, of course, Senator Misau is also on his way out of the country for the IPU. We cannot take off without both parties,” Anyanwu told one of our correspondents.
It was, however, learnt on Thursday that the police boss, who was at the VII Congress on the Fight Against Kidnapping and Extortion in Cartagena, Colombia, was back in the country.
Anyanwu had exclusively told The PUNCH, on Wednesday, that the committee would continue with the probe of the police chief since neither the panel nor the Senate was joined in the suit filed by the AGF against Misau.
When Anyanwu was asked through a text message if his committee would go ahead with the investigation, as the AGF had filed a suit against Misau, he replied, “The committee or the Senate is not a party to the suit.”
Meanwhile, Misau has declined to comment on the charges filed against him by the Federal Government through the Office of the AGF.
The lawmaker neither returned calls to his two mobile lines nor replied to a message sent to him.
When contacted at his office, his legislative aide, who confirmed that the lawmaker was in, said his boss was “busy.”
The aide, after listening to one of our correspondents’ enquiries, went into Misau’s office and came out to say his boss insisted that he would not talk to the press.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who was asked for the chamber’s reaction to the suit filed by the Federal Government, said, “No comment.”
A member of the Senate, who declined to be named, however referred our correspondent to Orders 41(7) and 53(5) of the Senate Standing Rules, where it is stated that a matter that is pending in a court could not be treated in the chamber, while the lawmakers will continue with a case pending in the chamber before the case is taken to court.
“The truth of the matter is that we started the case first and whatever happens in the court does not concern the Senate. We are not a party to the case. Besides, if we have to stop work on every matter because it is before a court, it means an arm of government will be gagged,” the source said.
NNPCL and Corruption’s Final Throes
By Pius Olasanmi
In the twilight of the Obasanjo administration, when Nigerians were still capable of being outraged, when Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of refineries was a buzzword that still held some mysticism to bamboozle citizens, during a conversation, a certain man said something profound. The man said, “As a businessman, if I were the owner of these refineries, knowing that they are three decades old, I would take the last money I have, hire bulldozers, raze them to the ground, and obtain loans to build new ones.”
When we pressed him further on why he would engage in such waste, he explained that repairing the refineries is the real waste. He explained that even if the TAM were honestly carried out, a thirty-year-old refinery would never compete favourably with a new one that would integrate contemporary technology. Operating at its best, such a refinery would never be comparatively more efficient. It is therefore pointless to have spent another one naira on the refineries at that point.
A few months later, I had a conversation with a then-lawmaker on an entirely different matter. I mentioned that the National Assembly has failed by not crafting legislation that would criminalise and punish public office holders who foist wrong decisions on the country. The logic: a public office holder need not steal to be punished, wrong decisions should attract penalties for an office holder who opts for the worst of all options when there are less injurious ones.
These established premises speak to the ongoing nauseating efforts at revisionism by those who wrecked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its previous iteration, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Notably, this campaign to rewrite history is traceable to Engineer Mele Kolo Kyari, the disgraced immediate past Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL and his hirelings. They have suffocated the news and the public opinion space with even more lies than they spun while in office.
The Saint Kyari campaign is anchored on convincing Nigerians that the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries were fully functional when he was booted out of office. So brazen is the campaign that one of its talking heads challenged the group chief executive officer (GCEO), Engr. Bayo Ojulari, to “inform Nigerians categorically what happened to the functioning refineries he inherited from his predecessor, Engr. Mele Kyari.” The effrontery.
We have not forgotten so soon the charade that followed the baffling claim that Nigeria has spent $2.8 billion on the repair of the refineries, while they are not churning out even a single litre of refined product among them. Saint Kyari and his goons played all manner of tricks, all of which embarrassed President Bola Tinubu, who had counted on ticking off the return to productivity of the refineries as part of his achievements, only to realise that he was deceived into celebrating phantoms. Tragic.
Lest we forget, 200 trucks were arranged as props in a well-directed video clip to celebrate the re-streaming of the Port Harcourt Refinery. The disappointment. Nigerians were to learn from several reports that the Port Harcourt refinery was not producing and was instead using old, stored petroleum products to load trucks. Worse still, the Kyari crew was passing off sanction-tainted Russian-sourced crude oil refined in Malta as locally refined products. More insult was piled on the assault on our collective sensibility with the lies that the Port Harcourt Refinery exported semi-finished products. Brazen.
Meanwhile, Kyari and his hirelings called those who pointed out or protested these glaring scams all manner of names. They hid behind industry technicalities and jargon to create the impression that those of us who knew Nigerians were being robbed did not understand what we were saying. The point remains that a $2.8 billion investment can potentially build a refinery with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). Of course, the actual capacity of such a refinery will depend on various factors, including the complexity of the refinery, the technology used, and the location. That is the amount that Kyari’s regime at the NNPCL took and did not give Nigerians refined products.
Fast forward to Kyari’s sack and the appointment of Engineer Bayo Ojulari, who has demonstrated that things can indeed be done differently. Kyari’s exit was expectedly followed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) going after him and his associates. The extent of the theft is better understood against the backdrop of N80 billion being found in the bank account of one of his associates. They went on the run.
Perhaps because the EFCC was biding its time on securing international warrants for the arrests of these characters on the lam, they have become emboldened. They have decided to fight back and rewrite the story of their participation in the greatest fraud against Nigerians. Engineer Ojulari’s renewed mindset, which is entrenching a semblance of the transparency Nigerians demand, became their natural target. The demons that once roamed around the corporation came out with malevolence. They started spinning stories of corruption to tarnish the incumbent who refused to hide their crimes. The objective: bring Ojulari down. But alas, he is winning the war as it stands.
His innocence is proven, and it is glaring that those who want him out are mere charlatans who can no longer ply their corrupt wares because of the impact of the new reforms. Corruption in the NNPCL is in its final throes. The fake news being unleashed against the incumbent leadership is akin to corruption’s last kicks as reforms in the sector strangulate it and its practitioners. The reforms must take place in the NNPCL, whether the industry demons like it or not.
As a parting shot, Kyari and his associates would do well to prepare their defence. In addition to accounting for the $2.8 billion they laundered in the name of repairing the moribund refineries, they must also answer for the poor decision to fix that which is irretrievably broken. Awarding contracts for Turn Around Maintenance of 59-year-old refineries that a right-thinking person had suggested should be demolished almost twenty years ago, when they were only 30 years old, is criminal. Trying to deceive Nigerians that the fake repairs worked is treason.
Olasanmi is a public affairs analyst writing from Lagos.
GRANDIS 5STAR LUXURY APARTMENT & SUITES SET TO REDEFINE LIVING IN VICTORIA ISLAND
Set to Rise elegantly against the Lagos skyline, is the Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites. According to Adejuwon Ademola, The General Manager of the Development company, it is more than just a residential building
“it’s a lifestyle statement. Standing 17 floors high in the heart of Victoria Island, this revolutionary masterpiece of modern architecture will offer a panoramic 360° view of Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, and Ikoyi, transforming every apartment into an exclusive penthouse experience for the world’s most discerning elite.”
Developed by Dumarco Construction Limited, a globally acclaimed company with decades of delivering complex, high-value projects in the highly regulated petroleum, oil, and gas industries, Grandis 5Star brings unmatched international safety standards, uncompromising quality, and timeless elegance into Nigeria’s luxury property market.
> “When you live in Grandis, you’re not just buying a home—you’re investing in peace of mind, world-class safety, and an effortless luxury experience that will remain pristine for decades,” says Adejuwon A. Ademola, General Manager of Dumarco Construction Limited.
The Gold Standard in Safety and Quality
Dumarco’s roots in the oil and gas sector mean the company operates to some of the strictest safety protocols in the world. Every stage—from conceptualization, design, construction, to long-term maintenance—follows internationally accepted procedures and quality assurance measures. Cutting corners is simply not in Dumarco’s vocabulary.
> “In the oil and gas industry, there’s no room for compromise. We’ve brought that same discipline and zero-tolerance for mediocrity into property development,” says Ademola. “That’s why Grandis will be one of the safest and most enduring residential developments in Nigeria.”
To ensure transparency and prevent (project complacency), Dumarco deliberately separates the developer, contractor, and consultant roles, engaging only the most competent professionals in each respective field. Dumarco’s project team includes globally recognized contractors such as Julius Berger, Cappa & D’Alberto, and Elalan, Migliore Construczione & Tecniche (MC&T) and their partners VENCO IMTIAZ CONTRACTING COMPANY (VICC) based in Dubai, UAE, Business Contracting Limited, alongside leading consultants like Morgan Omanitan & Abe, LAMBERT, and James Cubitt.
Grandis – Investments, appreciation, returns and profitability
Our selection process for the location of the project alone was pains-taking and completely thorough scientific process. Top professional companies were employed to conduct a scientific data acquisition and analytical survey of the entire Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki and Eko Atlantic before a project site is selected. Analyzing and acquiring areas developmental charts and trends, studying and gathering historical and present sale prices, rental charge and occupancy rates over a 50 year period from every individual street before the selection of the location of any of our developments especially true for the Grandis Project
He adds,
“Our clients and residents can be rest assured that the location of Grandis has been scientifically proven through all existing data to provide our clients with a 100% occupancy rate, highest developmental location, highest rental income and investment returns. ”
The Grandis Experience
Located minutes away from international corporate headquarters, embassies, and landmarks such as Eko Hotel, Radisson Blu, and the Radisson Red, Grandis offers unmatched convenience for professionals, diplomats, and high-net-worth individuals. Every residence is designed for both indulgence and efficiency, with high-grade finishes, smart-home systems, and private amenities that ensure seamless living.
From sunrise over the Atlantic to the glittering Lagos night skyline, residents will enjoy uninterrupted luxury, supported by discreet and highly trained staff, advanced security systems, and a design that prioritizes comfort and privacy.
> “We designed Grandis for people who want everything—security, elegance, convenience, and the assurance that their home will look as spectacular in 20 years as it does on day one,” Ademola notes.
A Legacy That Lasts
With its combination of visionary architecture, peerless safety, and meticulous maintenance planning, Grandis is built to remain iconic for generations. Thanks to Dumarco’s meticulous approach, the building’s service charges are expected to remain low while its value and appeal continue to appreciate over time.
In a market often marred by shortcuts and substandard practices, Mr Ademola says
Grandis stands as a beacon of what luxury living should be—safe, spectacular, and built to last.
“Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites — Where safety meets sophistication, and every detail is designed for a life well-lived.”
He added
Website -www.dumarcoltd.com
Project website – www.26idowutaylor.com
Email [email protected]
Tel / WhatsApp +234 9077777883
GM – Adejuwon A. Ademola
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