IGP denies extortion claims by BIRS, invites indicted officer for questioning

Benue State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni yesterday said the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris denied sending anybody to collect money from the Benue State Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIRS).

This is contrary to publications in some national dailies quoting an Assistant Commissioner of Police and team leader of Police X-Squad, Olu Kayode Ayilara who claimed that their invasion of the tax office was a directive from the IGP.

The IGP’s rebuttal passed through Owoseni, while addressing protesting youths under the aegis of Coalition of Harmonised Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria yesterday at the BIRS headquarters in Makurdi.

But Owoseni said the IGP did not send anyone to collect money from the BIRS, stressing that the officer in question had already been identified and had been invited to Abuja for interrogation and appealed to the protesting youths to sheathe their swords and allow for peace.He said: “We should know that every organ of government has bad eggs. The IGP does not send anybody to collect money for him. The person involved has come to spoil our name. We out to secure lives and property and not to molest humanity.”

He intimated that Governor Samuel Ortom and Senator George Akume have already met with the Force to resolve the issue and pleaded with the youths to protest peacefully.

The over 1000 youths were seen carrying placards bearing X-Squad Must Go and other inscriptions. Leader of the coalition, Solomon Semaka lamented the continued harassment, intimidation, blackmail, vindictiveness and criminal take over of the Benue IGR by Idris through his police X-Squad and alleged unlawful and criminal assault and threat to life of the BIRS Chairman by Ayilara.