The Nigerian Police have debunked claims by the Chairman of the Senate committee on appropriations, Danjuma Goje, that files containing work on Nigeria’s 2017 budget proposals were carted away during a raid on his Abuja residence last week.
Mr. Goje, a former governor of Gombe State, had told the Senate on Wednesday that police officers took away cash, a laptop and 18 documents on the budget proposal being worked on by his committee during the raid on his residence, located at Asokoro, Abuja.
Based on Mr. Goje’s claim, the House of Representatives gave the Inspector General of Police 24 hours to return the budget documents purportedly taken away from Mr. Goje’s residence.
But in a statement released early Thursday by the police spokesperson, Moshood Jimoh, the force said Mr. Goje’s claim was misleading and deliberately made to cast the police in bad light.
Mr. Jimoh said the raid police action was professionally and lawfully carried out. He confirmed that cash, laptop and other documents were indeed seized during the raid on Mr. Goje’s residence.
He said none of the seized documents had anything to do with budget, but other matters, including business and political concerns and a document on how former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State allegedly plotted the murder of a cleric, Sheikh Jafaru.
Giving the basis for the raid, the spokesperson disclosed that police action followed intelligence available to the force that Mr. Goje had huge cash, suspected to be proceeds of corruption at his home.
Read The Full Statement Below:
1. The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to reports in the media credited to Senator Danjuma Abdullahi Goje captioned “Blame the Police if 2017 Budget is not Ready Senator Goje” “REPS gives Police 24 hours to return budget documents allegedly carted from Goje’s residence”
2. The report in its entirety is false, misleading and capable of misinforming Nigerians about the statutory roles and duties of the Nigeria Police Force as provided under Sections 4 & 28 of Police Act and Regulations, which includes prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations, and authority to enter any house or premises to execute search warrant.
3. It is pertinent to set the record straight and inform Nigerians of the facts of the matter. A search warrant duly obtained from court of competent jurisdiction was professionally executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje on 20th April, 2017 at No. 10 Haile Salasie Street, Asokoro District Abuja which was subsequent upon intelligence report at the disposal of the Force that large sum of money suspected to be stolen public funds and other incriminating items are about to be moved out of the said house.
4. It is worthy of note that on arrival of the Police team to Senator Danujma Goje’s house, the house keeper Ango Usman informed the Senator of the presence and mission of the team and he promised coming but later switched off his phone.
Police raid on Senator Goje’s house
5. The search warrant was successfully executed in the presence of three (3) close relatives of Senator Danjuma Goje who are residing in the house and the recoveries were made in their presence. The three (3) relatives listed below opened the house and took the Police team round the building, and endorsed their signatures after the completion of the search as required by the procedure of law on search warrant which contained the money, documents and Laptop recovered, and none of the items include 2017 budget document. This is available for inspection by any interested members of the public
(i) Danjuma Mohammed, a master Degree holder from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a Chartered Quantity Surveyor is a nephew to Senator Danjuma Goje.
(ii) Ango Usman, House keeper to Senator Danjuma Goje .
(iii) Aisha Umar, Alias Iklima a step daughter to the Senator Danjuma Goje.
6. For avoidance of doubt, the followings are the sum of money both in local and foreign currencies, vital documents and a Laptop recovered for investigation when the search warrant was executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje
i. Cash sum of Eighteen Million and Fifty Six Thousand Naira (₦18,056,000) only
ii. Cash sum of Nineteen Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty (19,850 US Dollars).
iii. Cash sum of Nine Thousand Four Hundred (SR9, 400) Saudi Riyal
iv. Thirty Eight (38) Files and Six (6) Envelopes containing documents, some of which are listed below
a. File on funds spent on security administration and information gathering– a-g – 2009
b. File on release of funds for Special operations a- f – 2009
c. File on Gombe State Government of Nigeria Cash inflow 2005
d. File on Project 2007 – Executive Briefs on how to fight opposition in Gombe State – Strategies and Tactics
e. Envelopes containing permit to operate as an Oil Industry Service Company (special categories) 2011
f. A File containing write-ups on how Governor Shekarau plotted the assassination of Sheikh Jafaru
g. Letters from Alhaji Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Sarkin Yakin Gombe) to the MD LUBELL Nigeria Ltd of proposed residential Devt at Kashere Phase II dated 16/01/2007 and 19/11/2010.
7. The Nigeria Police Force wishes to state categorically that there was no single document relating to 2017 budget sighted or removed by the Police team that executed the search warrant. There is video recording of the execution of the search warrant.
8. The Inspector General of Police honoured the invitation of the National Assembly on 26th April, 2017 to explain the legality of the search warrant that was executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje on the 20th of April, 2017.
9. Further investigation is currently ongoing into the matter. Police actions are in line with the provisions of Sec. 4 & 28 of Police Act and Regulations as mentioned in paragraph 2 above and consistent with Sec. 9 & 144 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
10. The Nigeria Police Force sees the report in the media credited to Senator Danjuma Goje as a deliberate distraction to cast aspersion on Police investigation to pervert the end of justice.
11. Members of the public are hereby implored to disregards the report as the search warrant which was professionally executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje has nothing to do with 2017 budget
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