By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the Niger State Police Command on Tuesday debunked reports that it has planned a search on some student lodges at the state-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai.
A letter, purportedly addressed to the university’s Managing Director by the Lapai divisional police headquarters and dated 10th April 2023 went viral on Monday night.
The poorly worded letter alleged to have been signed by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area, Yusuf Musa said that the planned raid followed “credible intelligence, gathering information received from the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)”, which reported a prevalence of internet fraud among students of the institution.
“This letter is in regard for the permission for conducting lodge to lodge phone/ room searching that will be coming up on 11th April, 2023 at 1000hours, based on credible intelligence, gathering information received from the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that most of your students are into internet fraudsters that against the penal code of law.
“This our office will embark on lodge to lodge searching with a search warrant with the said effect this operation will be led by detective Yusuf Musa in accompany with the EFCC, men of Nigeria police mobile force and special police constabulary, ” the letter read in parts.
However, the Spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun said that the letter did not emanate from the command but was rather, a case of forgery.
He said that the command has commenced an investigation to unravel the identities of persons behind the alleged forgery.
“This is fake, as it does not emanate from Lapai Div or the Command. A case of suspected forgery has been established, investigation is ongoing and those mischief makers behind this will be dealt with accordingly, ” he said in a tweet posted on his Twitter handle.
