Aliyu Abba, a Kaduna-based businessman, has accused officers of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Department (FID) of rushing to arraign him before a magistrate in Abuja without completing their investigation or verifying the authenticity of the petition filed against him, according to SaharaReporters.
Abba, who is in a business dispute involving ₦819 million worth of ginger supply with an Indian partner, Sajith Madhu, said he was invited to the FID office on Monday, August 4, 2025, only to be informed that he was being charged with court.
According to him, even the complainant who was present at the station expressed surprise and disapproval of the move.
“On my arrival that Monday, August 4, I went to the police office, and I also met the complainant there because he came to submit some documents. They called the Investigative Police Officers (IPOs) Mathew and Sunday. They showed me a file asking me if it was my statement. I checked, and I said yes.
“From there, they charged me, and I asked them on what basis and if they had done their investigation. I asked them where the suspect Sajith Madhu was, but they said that was not my business,” Abba said.
He stated that the complainant, Silas Gabriel, protested the police’s action, insisting that the matter was still under investigation and not ripe for prosecution.
“The complainant Silas Gabriel was so mad at them he didn’t want his matter to be charged to court until the investigation is done but he said he is not to command them on what to do,” he added.
Abba said he was taken to the Magistrates’ Court, Wuse Zone 2, Court 2, where a charge was read to him and he pleaded not guilty. However, what transpired in court further exposed what he described as police misconduct.
“The complainant stood up in court and explained to the judge, telling her that I was not the one he complained to the police about, but he was surprised to see me here as the defendant,” Abba said.
He said the complainant also queried the absence of Sajith Madhu—the main party to the dispute—, but police claimed they could not locate him.
Despite the inconsistencies, the magistrate initially refused Abba bail and adjourned the case to Wednesday, August 6, 2025. He was later granted bail on that date.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Abba had earlier alleged that IPOs Mathew Abu and Sunday Aboji extorted ₦750,000 from him in three instalments—₦500,000, ₦150,000, and ₦100,000—through a POS operator under the instruction of SP Gadzama, Personal Assistant to DIG Benjamin Okolo. He said the officers ignored a court order from the Kano State High Court restraining them from detaining or arresting him over the same civil matter.
In a recorded phone conversation obtained by SaharaReporters, a man identified as IPO Abu allegedly admitted collecting the money and demanded an additional ₦500,000, saying, “If you can make it ₦500,000, I will talk to Gazama.”
When contacted, Abu denied receiving the money but confirmed Abba’s name was mentioned in a petition.
“Yes, I know about Aliyu Abba, but N750,000 — he gave to who? I don’t know about that,” he said.
