Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Three police escorts from Nigeria Police Kogi State Command, illegally attached to an Ezinifite businessman in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, are said to have been disarmed and arrested on the order of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Danduara Mustapha, while on illegal duty in the state.
It was gathered that the policemen had been guarding the businessman suspected to be a fraudster that had swindled the sum of N75 million from Chairman of Fegmatic Associate limited and sole distributor of German company products in Onitsha, Chief Anthony Onyia.
Onyia, briefing newsmen in Onitsha, alleged that the businessman (name withheld), now on the run, defrauded him and, through black market court orders, auctioned his goods worth millions of naira.
He said that it was based on the fraud committed by the businessman that his company to traced the man to his hometown with a team of policemen from Lagos, but was denied access to the man’s home by another team of policemen suspected to be illegal police escorts hired by the man.
Onyia said: “As a result, the German company, on a tip-off that he is in his Ezinifite residence, arrived the place with some policemen from Lagos to arrest him, but his three police escorts refused the police entry to effect the arrest”
“In the process, the DPO Ekwulowbia was alerted and he in turn informed the Anambra State Commissioner of Police who ordered that the three police escorts be disarmed, arrested and brought to his office.
“But the businessman, who was then in the house, went into hiding, having heard of what was happening outside his home, but the message was dropped to him to report to Police Command Awka, which he ignored.
“It was gathered from investigation that the three policemen were not officially attached to the businessman as escorts when the Kogi Police Command was contacted.
“Then after interrogation, the policemen were then sent back to Kogi Sate for further investigation, even as their paid master has been on the run and refused to appear at the police command for questioning.”
According to Onyia, “My plea to CP is to arrest the businessman because my life is under threat as unknown faces now parade my office in Onitsha and residence in a bid to stop me from exposing his fraudulent act and recovering my money.”
In a petition to Anambra CP, Onyia pleaded that the man and cohorts should be arrested, who he said operates a notorious syndicate and specialized in defrauding foreign companies and their agents that operate in the country.