The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Anthony Ogbizi, has silently resigned from office before his due retirement age, after he was accused of forging his birth certificate.
A top officer in the force which spoke with SaharaReporters, noted that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, directed Ogbizi to resign silently instead of prosecuting him for forgery.
Ogbizi was appointed DIG in 2019 when Adamu also became the Acting IGP.
According to the police records, he enlisted into the police in 1986 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police and by the statutory 35 years, should retire at a date later in 2021.
The source said, “He quietly resigned before his retirement date because he was found to have forged his date of birth. The IG had an agreement to let him run away instead of prosecuting him for forgery.”
The embattled DIG was on the seven-man panel led by Justice Ayo Salami investigating the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
Ogbizi was appointing into the panel by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2920 to investigate Magu on allegation of fraud levelled against him by Abubakar Malami.
According to SaharaReporters, this is not the first time Ogbizi would be alleged of committing infractions.
It recall that two civil society organisations in Nigeria, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre and the Social Intervention Advocacy Foundation asked the IGP to investigate Ogbizi over allegations of corruption, abuse of power, and gross misconduct.
In a joint statement signed by Okechukwu Nwanguma for RULAAC and Segun Awosanya for SIAF, the groups said they were concerned that Ogbizi unduly interfered in cases reported to the police, derailing and compromising investigations for pecuniary gains. They alleged that the police chief perverted the course of justice.
Citing an example, the groups said Ogbizi sided with the wealthy and powerful in his investigation of cases.
“One recent case concerns a petition addressed to the AIG, Force CID Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi Lagos, by a distraught 70-year-old woman from Enugu State, who through her son, Ekene Nwatu, based in Lagos, petitioned against one Emeka Nwatu, a wealthy and influential politician from the same family in Agbani, Enugu State.”
“They informed the AIG FCID, Alagbon, that Emeka pulls the weight of his wealth and political influence to constantly intimidate, harass and assault the old woman, using thugs recruited by himself in a bid to throw her out of her late husband’s family compound.”
“However, upon learning about the petition against him at Alagbon, Emeka travelled to the Force Headquarters, Abuja where he met with DIG Michael A. Ogbizi, following which, the DIG ordered the release of two arrested suspects (who were Emeka Nwatu’s thugs) the same day they were brought to Alagbon and hastily ordered the Alagbon FCID to transfer the case to his office in Abuja.”
“Indications later showed that there were plans to twist the case and turn the victims/complainants to the accused in a bid to further victimise them.”
The news platform noted that it is not clear if police authorities have acted on the petition or not.