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| Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar |
Adoke has been accused of corruption, abuse of office and incompetence by a civil rights organisation, Anti-Corruption Network.
The group had in an April 4, 2013
petition to Jonathan detailed Adoke’s alleged involvement in graft and
“outrageous use of powers against public interest.”
It also asked the President to fire the minister.
The coalition sent a reminder dated
April 11, 2013 to Jonathan, asking him to order an investigation into
its petition and sack Adoke.
Consequently, the Inspector-General of
Police Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, directed the Commissioner of Police in
charge of X-Squad, Mr. Ali Amodu, to invite the Executive Secretary of
ACN, Mr. Dino Melaye, for questioning over the petition.
The letter specifically invited Melaye, a
former member of the House of Representatives, to the Police Force
Headquarters in Abuja for a discussion with Amodu.
It also indicated that the X-Squad was already investigating the allegations.
It reads, “This office is investigating a
case of alleged corruption, abuse of office and incompetence leveled
against the current Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
of the Federation (Mohammed Bello Adoke) by your organisation.
“In view of this, the Inspector-General
of Police, has directed that a full scale investigation be conducted
into the allegations by this office. Consequently, you are invited to
meet the undesigned on Friday May 10, 2013 by 1000 hrs prompt in Room 1C
– 053 First Floor, Police Headquatres, Louis Edet House, Central Area,
Abuja.”
But when contacted, the Chief Press
Secretary to the AGF, Mr. Ambrose Momoh, told our correspondent that he
could not speak on the investigation.
He said, “I am definitely not aware. You
are the one putting me on notice now. I am just hearing it from you. As
such, I cannot speak.”
Meanwhile, Adoke, on Friday said he invited the police to investigate the allegations levelled against him by Melaye.
In a statement by his lawyer, Ahmed Raji
(SAN), Adoke said he wrote the Inspector-General of Police, asking him
to investigate Melaye’s allegations.
The statement said, “Following the
tendentious allegations made by one Mr. Dino Melaye against the person
of our client, we wrote a letter dated April 23, 2013 to the
Inspector-General of Police, wherein we requested the IG to cause an
investigation to be carried out in respect of all the allegations made
by the said Mr. Dino Melaye.”
The lawyer faulted a report on Friday by
an online medium, which stated that President Goodluck Jonathan
initiated a probe into the allegations against Adoke.
Quoting the letter written to the IG,
the lawyer stated, “We have our client’s instructions to request you to
kindly cause an investigation to be carried into all the allegations by
promptly inviting the said Otunba Dino Melaye to come and justify all
the allegations he has made which we hasten to say are nothing but
criminal libel.”
According to the AGF’s lawyer, the
investigation being embarked upon by the police is at the instance of
Adoke and not the President as being insinuated.
He stated, “We want to place on record
that this is not the first time our client will be submitting himself to
a public enquiry because he has nothing to hide.
“On a past occasion when our client
submitted himself, his accusers came apologising as they admitted that
they were misled into publishing what was and is still patently false
against him.
“While our client concedes the right of
every individual to freedom of speech, it is our contention that the
freedom goes with a duty. It is not a licence for anyone to make any
unsubstantiated allegation against any individual.”
PUNCH
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