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Dalung extols police over officer’s refusal to collect $200,000 bribe

By Guardian Nigeria
15 December 2022   |   2:48 am
Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has extolled the virtue of integrity exhibited by Daniel Ameh

ACP Daniel Ameh exchanged pleasantry with former Minister Solomon Dalung during the award of integrity bestowed on Ameh.

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has extolled the virtue of integrity exhibited by Daniel Ameh, a police officer who rejected US$200,000 bribe in Kano.

Dalung said it is nevertheless paradoxical in Nigeria to have “police to reject dollar bribe in a country where leaders embrace corruption.”

Dalung was speaking on “Promoting Integrity as a Way of Fighting Corruption”, an event organised by the Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA), in collaboration with The Penlight Centre, to award Ameh recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Dalung, who served under President Muhammadu Buhari, said Nigeria is under the siege of few “political bandits”, who he claimed held the nation to ransom.

Dalung, who had since dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Social Democratic Party (SDP), noted that Nigerians have found themselves in a political mess because of insensitive leaders.

“It is not true that Nigerians are corrupt people, but it is unfortunate that out of 220 million population, very few political bandits have held Nigeria to ransom.These insensitive political clicks continue to present the country as nation of comedy dancing outside.

“We are simply where we are because we bargain for it and if we don’t know where to place the blame of our political woe then we are not sincere people. We have conspiracy in the political elites who have capitalised on our faithfulness to reflect religiousity,” Dalung noted.

But the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC)
Abdulrashid Bawa contended that the ugly trend of corruption and its attendance consequences may strive unabatedly in the country as long as Nigerians continued to celebrate corrupt leaders.

Bawa, who was represented by Deputy Director, EFCC Kano zonal office, Sunday Ofanmon, disclosed that the commission can only fight corruption base on intelligent information however challenged Nigerians to make use of the commission’s technology to report credible cases of corruption.

Bawa cautioned Nigerians not to mortgage their conscience to selfish politicians who are ready to use proceed of corruption to buy their votes during election, adding that falling prey to those selfish individual will deprive them a better basic amenities in future.

Nevertheless, the Director, Aminu Kano Center for Democratic Research and Training, Mumbayya House, Bayero university, Professor Abu Fagge challenged EFCC to account for the proceed of forfeited property recovered from corrupt related cases.

In his paper titled ‘Corruption and integrity in Nigeria,, the bluniversity don lamented that despite abundant natural and human resources, Nigeria could not develop because of lack of integrity of its political leaders who are also guilty of corruption.

He wondered how corruption would be fought in a country where corrupt leaders sentenced to serve the consequences of their action thereafter granted presidential pardon. Professor lFagge therefore urged Nigerians not to vote corrupt leaders.

Head of Transparency International, Nigeria, Auwalu Musa Rafsanjani, urged Nigerians to use next year’s election to reject politicians who used public funds to unleashing poverty and compromise election. He faulted Nigeria governors for diversion of security votes for personal interest.

Rafsanjani, who made his contribution at the occasion, virtually called the security agencies to embrace integrity in their service delivery with pledge of allegiance to Nigerians and not the politicians.

Representative of Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, the deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of administration, Kano state command, DCP Abubakar Subairu, applauded CAJ for using the occasion to celebrate the Daniel Amah for his integrity.

Convener of the event, and executive director of CAJa, Kabiru Dakata said the occasion was aimed at identifying and honoring ACP Daniel Amah who shown exemplary integrity and leadership in fighting corruption in Nigeria.

Daka noted that for 2022 award, the management of CAJA, after thorough scrutiny and assessment, approved ACP Daniel Amah, has demonstrated a high level of integrity by rejecting a $200,000 bribe in a case of alleged armed robbery, in April, 2022.

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