Policemen and concerned members of the public have dispelled the rumour of allegation against a woman police officer who suspected fraudsters accused of extorting money from them at gun point.
There was a viral report by an online news platform that a woman police, DSP Cordelia Nwawe, serving at Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID), Alagbon, Lagos, extorted money from criminal suspects at gun point and collected from them, Crypto currency.
But discrete investigation in FCIID, Alagbon has revealed that the allegation was maliciously fabricated to tarnish the image of the vintage officer, whose track record in police public relations has remained sterling.
“The suspects in question are being investigated for Cyber crime administrative identify fraud. They were arrested following a petition to FCIID and they made confessional Statement on how they were using other people’s photographs to swindle people of their hard earned money. Case files were opened for them. After their confessions, they were granted bail and released to reasonable sureties.”
“Trouble started when the suspects refused to show up on appointment days and when the police called them to honour the invitation, the suspects ran to the media to thwart Investigation. They nearly succeeded as members of the public seem to believe the suspects who have swindled victims of several millions of money. Many of their victims have even committed suicide, so many are indepted to banks and other financial institutions”.
A Senior Police officer who dismissed the media report on DSP Cordelia Nwawe with a wave of hands, said; “I am surprised that Journalists no longer carry out Investigation and have refused to hear other sides of the story. Why should a Journalist be used by suspected criminals to tarnish the image of DSP Nwawe, an image maker per excellence.”
“She is in charge of a Department and it is not possible for her to carry arms and be threatening criminals to bring money. I have personally investigated her and anticedent and discovered that she has never carried arms even for herself, excerpt during police training, not to talk of threatening suspects when she has team leader and Investigating police officer. But I want to reassure you that DSP Cordelia Nwawe has never signed a police gun for her use since she became a cop since 2012 till date.She does not have any crypto currency wallet to her name, so how did she collect the N22 million through crypto currency?”
“She is not an officer who is stationed to effect arrest on the road.The matter that was investigated, not a personal matter. The matter was directed to Nwawe and her team via a petition approved by the The then AIG Dasuki Galadanchi. The woman police endorsed the voluntary statements of the suspects who confessed to the crime on police documents as statements under caution . The good thing is that there are also videos of the suspects confessional statements”.
An activist, Mark Chidozie, said he was miffed and shocked when he read the damaging story on a supper Corp.
He said; “I have known Nwawe since she was the Police Public Relations (PPRO), Akwa Ibom State , Sokoto Police Commands and FCIID Alagbon. I have known her to be a clean officer who used to deliver lecture to her subordinates against human rights violation. How do you expect a PPRO to carry arms and be threatening suspects. It doesn’t sound nice in the ear.”
“To show that the reporter is sponsored and mischievous, how did he get the Force number when she does not wear police force numbers on her shirts as police rank and file, so this is purely the mischief of persons ego who want to redicle her achievements in the force.“
“Again, Crypto currency is not a legal tender in Nigeria so I do not know how the woman that does not have a crypto currency wallet could have held any one at gun point to forcefully collect 22 million worth of Bitcoin. She has Investigated fruad alledged criminals and handed over some of them to the EFCC for further investigation.”
“The Suspects were granted bail and were instructed to have a reporting scheduled appointment at the FCIID Alagbon . I learnt that the videos of suspects are available .I believe convincingly that the suspects were set out to frustrate investigation by using the media to destroy investigation and cowing the police.”
