Lawyer Petitions IGP Over Alleged Interference By Monitoring Unit Head In Fraud Case

A legal practitioner, Oladimeji Ekengba, has petitioned the inspector general of police (IGP) over the alleged unlawful interference of deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Akingbade Fakorede, head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, in an ongoing fraud case before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

In the petition, Ekengba accused DCP Fakorede of aiding a suspected fraudster—who is facing trial and has an active bench warrant against her to allegedly flee the country.

The petitioner highlighted that Fakorede had been previously sanctioned by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) under Petition No. BB/LPDC/1627/2025 for professional misconduct.

According to Ekengba, the fraud case was filed under Charge No. FHC/L/745C/2024, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, and had undergone multiple investigations by high-ranking police authorities, all of which concluded that the legal process should proceed.

However, he alleged that Fakorede disregarded a court order by attempting to withdraw the case and facilitating the suspect’s escape.

According to him, despite these efforts, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) intercepted and arrested the suspect after discovering that her passport had been flagged.

The arrest reportedly raised questions about why the IGP Monitoring Unit had sought to assist her departure in defiance of a Federal High Court order.

Ekengba further alleged that Fakorede had instructed senior police officers at Alagbon to release the suspect’s passport under the pretext of an official directive from the IGP, even though Justice D.I. Dipeolu had issued an order on January 2, 2025 (FHC/L/CA/2318/2024) restraining him from any interference in the case.

The petitioner called on the Inspector General of Police to take decisive action, emphasising that Nigeria must not become a “banana republic” where police officers disregard the rule of law with impunity.

He urged that officers with a history of disobedience to court orders should not be entrusted with sensitive positions such as the IGP Monitoring Unit.