EXCLUSIVE(SAHARA REPORTERS): IGP Disu's Office Accused of Stalling JTB, Plateau Fraud Prosecution

Serious allegations have surfaced against the office of Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, claiming that high-ranking police officers are actively suppressing an investigation report and legal advice. This advice reportedly recommended the prosecution of key officials from the Joint Tax Board (JTB), agencies within the Plateau State Government, and other individuals for offences like criminal conspiracy, fraudulent extortion, forgery, money laundering, and the diversion of public funds.

CSP Lateef Ahmed, the IGP’s Principal Staff Officer, is specifically accused of withholding and impeding action on this report, even though the Force Legal Department had already advised prosecution. Sources within the police force revealed to SaharaReporters that Assistant Inspector-General of Police Emmanuel Ade Aina, who serves as the Director of Legal Services at Force Headquarters, issued a legal opinion. This opinion advocated for the prosecution of several suspects, including Jim Pam Wayas and Samuel Dapiya, after investigators found sufficient preliminary evidence against them.

The controversy originated from a petition submitted to then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on March 19, 2024. The petitioner, Mr. Solomon Osagie, alleged widespread fraudulent tax collection activities involving the JTB and its contractor, Citiserve Limited. He claimed that motorists nationwide were forced to pay illicit interstate road sticker levies, with the proceeds allegedly channelled into private accounts through the use of counterfeit receipts. Sources close to the matter informed SaharaReporters that despite thorough investigations and the submission of legal advice, the case has remained stalled at the highest echelons of the police hierarchy.

The investigation reportedly passed through multiple police units, including the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), the IGP Monitoring Unit, and later the Police Special Investigation Unit (PSIU), following a directive from the former Inspector-General of Police. Throughout this process, sources allege that certain government officials and police personnel attempted to obstruct the probe. ASP Sule Danjuma is one officer implicated, accused of trying to compromise the investigation while it was with the FCID and unlawfully arresting the complainant without a warrant. Danjuma was reportedly later indicted for professional misconduct by the Force Public Complaint Bureau (FPRO-PCB), though disciplinary proceedings are yet to conclude. The complainant further alleged that he faced unlawful arrest, intimidation, and harassment despite being the initial petitioner in a case simultaneously under investigation by another police unit.

A legal opinion, titled “Legal Advice Re: Police Investigation Report – Alleged Case of Criminal Conspiracy, Fraudulent Extortion and Conduct Likely to Cause Breach of Peace (CER:447/2025),” dated May 19, 2025, and bearing Reference Number CB:3514/DoLS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.56/2, concluded that investigators had established adequate grounds to prosecute several individuals. These suspects include Jim Pam Wayas, Samuel N. Dapiya, Makplang Daniel John, Leo Densak, and Samuel Emeka Esomonu. The report also recommended that Ucheptse Daniel be charged for obstructing police officers.

According to the findings detailed in the legal advice, investigators established prima facie cases of criminal conspiracy, forgery, diversion of taxpayer funds into private accounts, money laundering, economic sabotage, misappropriation of public funds, and abuse of office. Consequently, the Director of Legal Services recommended that the original case file be forwarded for arraignment and prosecution. A section of the legal opinion states: “After the study of the report, it is the considered legal opinion of this Directorate that a prima facie case of criminal conspiracy, forgery, diversion of funds from taxpayers into individual accounts, money laundering, economic sabotage, misappropriation, and abuse of office has been established against the suspects.” The legal advice further instructed investigators to broaden their inquiries into counter-allegations made against the petitioner by one of the suspects to confirm their truthfulness.

Investigators reportedly uncovered that receipts supposedly issued by the Joint Tax Board and allegedly printed by the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company Plc were not authentic. The report found that some revenue receipts and stickers recovered during the investigation bore identical identification numbers, contrary to the unique serial numbers expected of official government revenue documents. Evidence gathered during the investigation reportedly linked several recovered receipt booklets and revenue stickers to individuals involved in the collection process. One suspect, Leo Densak, reportedly confessed during interrogation that he supplied some of the recovered receipt booklets. The investigation further traced several receipt booklets with Plateau State revenue collection markings and serial references, which became central to the allegations of forged revenue documents and the diversion of government funds.

In a letter dated June 8, 2026, addressed to the Inspector-General of Police through his legal representatives, B.I. Dakum & Co., the complainant accused police authorities of deliberately delaying prosecution despite the conclusion of investigations. The letter also expressed concern over the police's continued failure to release Certified True Copies (CTCs) of both the investigation report and a separate disciplinary report, which allegedly indicted CSP Francis Maga for his role in compromising earlier investigations and for leading a team of officers to arrest the complainant violently. According to the letter, repeated applications made under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, have gone unanswered. The letter claimed that during an interview session at the Force CID, Area 10, Abuja, the Attorney-General of Plateau State allegedly suggested that the state governor would intervene by contacting the Inspector-General of Police to halt the investigation. The complainant described this allegation as disturbing and capable of eroding public confidence in ongoing police reforms. The petition questioned why crucial documents, including requests for Certified True Copies, disciplinary findings, and the legal advice already submitted to the Inspector-General’s office, have remained unaddressed. The lawyers asked: “Who is working to compromise the prosecution? Is it a coincidence that both the requests for Certified True Copies and the investigation report with legal advice submitted to the IGP’s office have either gone missing or remained unattended to?” The complainant insists that the refusal to release investigation reports and disciplinary findings has stalled prosecution and denied him access to documents necessary for further legal action.

The matter stems from a petition dated December 24, 2025, written by the Plateau State Attorney-General, Philimon Auta Daffi, on behalf of the state government to the Inspector-General of Police against a tax consultant company, Messrs Solomon Osagie Obodeh and PABEN MBC Plc. The petition alleged that the company continued operating in the state after its contractual agreement had expired and been terminated. The Plateau State Government reportedly declared Messrs Solomon Obodeh and PABEN MBC Ltd persona non grata, describing them as a security threat to the state, and requested a police investigation. The complainant maintains that the petition filed against him by the state government was merely a calculated attempt to frustrate his efforts and divert public attention from the alleged fraudulent activities in question.