BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
A legal practitioner, Oladimeji Ekengba, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over what he describes as the 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 an open letter to the media available to the press on Tuesday in Abuja , Ekengba accused DCP Fakorede of aiding a suspected fraudster—who is facing trial and has an active bench warrant against her—to flee the country, allegedly for personal and financial gain.
The lawyer highlighted that Fakorede had been previously petitioned before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) under Petition No. BB/LPDC/1627/2025 for professional misconduct.
According to Ekengba, the fraud case, filed under Charge No. FHC/L/745C/2024 before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, had undergone multiple investigations by high-ranking police authorities, all of which concluded that the legal process should take its course.
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, emphasizing 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.
As of press time, neither DCP Fakorede nor the police authorities have issued an official response to the allegations.
