Petitioner seeks IGP’s help in Police Zone 7 debt recovery mess

Senior police officer, Chief Superintendant of Police, CSP, Ogbonnaya Nwota, believed to work at the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, of Zone 7, Abuja, has been accused of breaching the new police act that specifically forbids the force to be used as debt collection agency.

Nwota and his enabler, Mr Uchenna Nwagbo, are being accused of turning the police zonal office into debt recovery agency considering treatment meted out to a single struggling mother, Nimi David-Imeh over a business that went awry and for which she had agreed to pay off her debt.

The zonal headquarters of the police in Nigeria is a humongous police hub with sweeping powers and territorial coverage.

Zone Seven (7) Police Command, located in the North central Geo-political Zone of Nigeria, exercise oversight over the nation’s capital, Abuja Command, and that of Niger State, with the headquarters located in FCT.

The Zone has a total land mass of about 84,363 square kilometers.

But contrary to the new police act that forbids the police to be used as debt recovery agency, the officer and his instigator are currently being petitioned to the IGP but with no response appearing to come from the police high command.

Currently, two letters on the matter has been sent to the office of the Inspector General of Police, IGP, signed first by Jibril Usman, who claims to be a senior Research analyst and Dr George D. Davidson, a Chief Research Analyst, both stating that they work on anti corruption matters.

In the first letter dated, 23 May, 2021, and numbered as ST/023/21/S0140, it was alleged that upon a petition by Nwagbo, CSP Nwota has turned himself into a debt recovery agent and is deliberately intimidating and threatening David-Imeh, on whose behalf Usman is acting.

“He threatened our client with detention unless she makes a definite commitment to pay up the funds by writing post dated cheques to cover the debt.

“Even though our client is on bail, CSP Nwota demands her appearance everyday at the police station where she will be threatened to make undertakings under pressure of detention.

“Our client has honoured all his invitations and willingly provided every useful information they need to investigate the case but this appears not to be enough for CSP Nwota as he has constantly threatened her with detention knowing full well that she lives alone with young children who are eight years, three years, and two years, with no one but herself to cater for them.

“The last child who is two years old is a sickle cell patient who needs constant monitoring and supervision. CSP Nwota leverages on this known fact and forces her do his bidding, usman explained in a copy of the said petition to the IG’s office.

As gathered, Nwagbo had a business transaction with David-Imeh in 2019 wherein he invested sums of money in MBM Forex through in exchange for returns on investment.

Mr. Nwagbo had deposited various sums and at various times totaling about N39,000,000.00 (thirty nine million naira) on a six months period with interest on the investment rising from 8 – 10 percent.

After every six months, Mr Uchenna specifically requested that the capital be rolled over while he takes the interest. As at the time of the petition Mr. Uchenna had received a total of N17,000,000.00 (Seventeen Million Naira only) as accrued interests untill sometime in 2020 when the forex market crashed and the principal investor MBM Forex had their funds frozen on the orders of the Central Bank of Nigeria and all its business offices closed.

“Notwithstanding this set back, Mr Uchenna Nwagbo and our client had a new arrangement where the interest payment would stop and our client would commence the process of sourcing for funds to pay back the capital which now stands at N33,000,000.000 (thirty three million naira).

“Despite our clients commitment to pay, Mr. Uchenna Nwagbo brought a petition against her to the AIG Zone 7 command with CSP Ogbonnaya Nwota as the lead investigator,” the petitioner narrated.

The petitioner is asking that the police officer be removed from the matter since he had not shown interest in investigating the matter fairly.

The activities of CSP Nwota, according to Usman, is clearly a violation of the public trust reposed on his office as no allegation of crime has been traced to the transaction between Mr Uchenna Nwagbo and our client.

“All CSP Nwota has been doing is simply to recover debt. While our client is committed to paying Mr Uchenna Nwagbo, CSP Nwota is deliberately snaring our client and prodding her to commit a crime by issuing cheques knowing fully well that she may be accused of issuing dud cheques later.

“We humbly request that the case be investigated by another team from your office to give us the assurance that justice will be done in the matter.

“We humbly implore you sir to use your good offices to intervene in this matter,” Usman petitioned on behalf of David-Imeh.

Not getting response, another petition was raised on 1st June,2021 via letter ST/023/21/SO240. Signed by George D. Davidsson.

In fresh reminder, the petitioner is asking that the case file be transferred from Zone 7 to Force Headquarters also in Abuja and to be handled by IGP’s office.

“We further bring to your attention that, we are not ignorant of happenings concerning this case, as the highest forms of intimidation and bias is been exhibited by some of your men.

“We bring to your attention that by the current status and Act of the Nigerian Police, the measures of the above named officers in Zone 7 Command is contrary to the Act establishing the Nigerian Police Force.

“The idea of CSP Ogbonnaya and Team compelling a Nigerian to sign a posted cheque against her wish is against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Act establishing the Nigerian Police Force,” Davidson wrote.