Law Firm Petitions IGP Over Threat To Life

A law firm, Lawlead Consult, has petitioned the inspector-general of police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, demanding the re-assignment or transfer of the case file in connection with an investigation of a case involving its client, Miss Nike Latifah Usman.

This was stated in a petition signed by Abubakar Yahaya Ndakene Esq., dated November 8, 2024, with the title, “Re: Criminal breach of trust, cheating and threat to life: Complaint of dereliction of duty, abuse of office and conducts incompatible with the extant lawful duties of police officer against CSP Taiwo Oyewale, head of IGP-SIU and officers of the IGP-IRT unit with one Asp Pat as IPO”.

The firm representing Miss Nike Latifah Usman alleged in the petition that its client’s life was under threat. It urged the IGP to reassign the case to another unbiased police unit as they are no longer comfortable with the handling of the case under CSP Oyewale.

The firm alleged on behalf of Miss Nike Usman that in the course of investigating the case between Miss Usman and Rear Admiral William Kayoda (rtd), the CSP Oyewale’s team never invited key witnesses to the case, such as the second and third defendants and other BDCs named by its client.

The problem started when Miss Usman, who has been doing business with the Nigerian Military since 2011, was engaged by Kayode sometime in 2021 to purchase and build two properties for him at Plot No. 3811 Cadastral Zone 04, Asokoro District, FCT-Abuja and at Wuse 2, Abuja. Part of the complaint of Usman in a direct criminal complaint filed by Edward Omaga Esq. on behalf Of Usman before Chief Magistrate Court, Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, stated that Usman designed and built two houses for Kayode at Plot No. 3813, Cadastral Zone 04, Asokoro District, FCT, Abuja which cost the total of N1,200,000,000 (one billion, two hundred million naira) and the present Obej Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja constructed by Usman for Kayoda and allegedly meant for Kayoda’s wife and they mutually agreed that Kayode would pay her 20 per cent equivalent of the cost of building the Asokoro house as her professional fees and about N650 million as the cost of building the Wuse 2 Plaza out of which N450 million was paid to her as alleged in the direct criminal complaint. It was also alleged in the direct criminal complaint that Kayode owes Usman $287,000,000, N289,000,000 and another N240,000,000 from other business deals they did together. Instead of paying, Usman has been facing threats against her life, and the police team currently handling the case under CSP Oyewale and the officers of the IGP-IRT can no longer be trusted by Usman to get judgment.

Part of the complaints, as contained in the petition, stated that “The said CSP Taiwo also failed to invite other relevant persons named by our client which would aid the justice and investigation of the case”.
The Petition also alleged that Usman was arrested through the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), under the inspector general of police in connection to the same complaint made by Usman to the Police, without any invitation, and Usman claimed to have been detained for close to 48 hours, which allegedly shows a clear intention to humiliate her at IRT for no just cause, on a connected subject matter to the complaint of Usman which is being already investigated by the SIU headed by CSP Oyewale.”

The firm expressed lack of confidence in the investigation at the SIU and IRT and called for the re-assignment of the petition to another neutral unit of the police and suggested INTERPOL, since some of the defendants are outside Nigeria, noting that “all eyes are now on the Nigerian Police to see the actions they will take on this complaint of bias and abuse of office against their officers.”