, Gombe Branch, has accused the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investiga){kind=link}
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gombe Branch, has accused the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Gombe, AIG Emmanuel Agene, of alleged extortion, intimidation and harassment of lawyers and suspects, and has called on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM to investigate the allegations.
The NBA branch chairman, Barrister Alhassan Mu’azu, made the allegations on Wednesday after the branch’s monthly congress attended by senior members, leaders and elders of the association in Gombe.
Mu’azu said the allegations followed a complaint by a member of the branch, E.S. Tizhe of Habu Abdu & Co., who represented Ahmed Shuaibu Gara in a police investigation involving allegations of cyberbullying.
According to the NBA chairman, Tizhe went to the FCID Annex to represent his client in accordance with the constitutional right of an accused person to legal representation.
“As a lawyer, constitutionally, by virtue of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, every citizen has the right to choose his counsel to represent him, whether at the police station or in a court of law,” Mu’azu said.
He alleged that money was demanded as a condition for Gara’s release on bail, describing the alleged demand as unlawful and unconstitutional.
Mu’azu said the branch subsequently constituted a committee comprising senior lawyers and elders to investigate complaints relating to the activities of the FCID Annex.
“We have been gathering information. It is not only that of Tizhe. The branch had to constitute a committee of bar leaders and elders of the branch to investigate the activities and alleged extortion that is ongoing,” he said.
He said the committee was compiling its findings and would submit its report to the appropriate authorities.
The NBA chairman further alleged that some lawyers had been subjected to embarrassing treatment while representing their clients at the police facility and claimed that allegations of demands for money had become a recurring concern.
“We are condemning this in the strongest terms. We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that these activities are properly investigated and that the AIG, if found wanting, must be prosecuted,” Mu’azu said.
He added that the NBA branch was prepared to provide evidence to the police authorities if invited, stressing that the association would not be intimidated in the discharge of its professional responsibilities.
NBA Chairman Alleges Pressure From AIG
Mu’azu also disclosed that Tizhe had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the matter and that the petition was subsequently forwarded to the AIG for his response.
He alleged that following the petition, Agene contacted him and asked him to appear before him.
“The AIG kept calling me as the chairman of the branch that I should come, as if he wanted to arrest me. That is wrong,” Mu’azu alleged.
The NBA chairman said the branch was awaiting the outcome of the IGP’s consideration of the petition.
He warned that if the police authorities failed to act on the allegations, the NBA branch would seek further legal remedies.
“If the Inspector-General of Police is not taking action, we are going to join hands with our President of the Nigerian Bar Association. We are going to ensure that we sue not only the AIG FCID Annex, but, if no action is taken, the entire Nigerian Police Force, including the Police Service Commission,” he said.
Lawyer Alleges N700,000 Payments
In a petition dated September 7, 2026, addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, Tizhe alleged that his client was arrested on August 14, 2026, following a complaint involving alleged criminal mischief and criminal defamation of character.
The lawyer alleged that after his client’s statement was taken, they were taken to the AIG’s office, where, according to the petition, money was allegedly demanded for the suspect’s release.
Tizhe alleged that Gara initially paid N100,000.
He further alleged that he was asked to submit his Call to Bar certificate and NBA identification card as part of the bail process.
According to the petition, a surety was subsequently produced, after which Tizhe returned to request the documents but alleged that they were not immediately returned.
The lawyer further alleged that on August 17, his client was asked to provide another N100,000 and that on August 20, he personally paid N500,000 after what he described as threats.
The allegations, if established, would raise serious concerns about the administration of police bail and the treatment of legal practitioners and suspects at the facility.
Tizhe also alleged in the petition that complainants seeking to have matters investigated by the FCID Annex were sometimes required to deposit between N50,000 and N100,000 with the AIG before investigations could commence.
He consequently asked the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and investigate what he described as alleged extortion at the FCID Annex, Gombe.
AIG Denies Demanding or Receiving Money
However, AIG Emmanuel Agene has categorically denied the allegations, saying neither he nor the FCID Annex received money from Gara, his surety or his lawyer.
In his response to the petition dated October 2, 2026, and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, Agene said the case involved allegations of cyberbullying against Gara.
According to the AIG, the suspect made a statement during the investigation in which he allegedly confessed to the offence.
Agene said Tizhe subsequently requested administrative bail for his client and that the applicable bail conditions were communicated to the suspect.
He explained that Tizhe initially offered to stand as Gara’s surety but was informed that, as the suspect’s solicitor, he could not act as surety.
The AIG said the lawyer subsequently produced a police auditor, Usman Adamu, as surety.
Agene said he directed Tizhe to indicate that he knew the proposed surety and to provide his Call to Bar certificate and identification card to facilitate the production of the suspect on August 17.
He maintained that the documents were voluntarily submitted and denied that their submission was connected to any demand for money.
“The AIG Force CID Annex Gombe neither had discussion of any money and/or received same from both the suspect, the surety and the solicitor,” Agene stated.
He challenged the lawyer to produce evidence to substantiate the allegation that money was demanded or collected.
“If there is, the solicitor should provide evidence,” Agene said, describing the allegation as an attempt to damage his reputation.
The AIG further alleged that investigators later experienced difficulty reaching the surety after the suspect’s release.
He also accused the lawyer and suspect of attempting to use social media to intimidate people for financial compensation, claiming that similar allegations had previously been made against the FCID Annex in 2025.
Agene described the allegations as an attempt to tarnish his reputation after years of service in the Nigeria Police Force.
“Is this now at the apex of my career I will descend so low to demanding or receiving the sum of fifty thousand naira only, N50,000, as alleged from a drowning solicitor?” he asked.
The AIG maintained that he neither demanded nor received money from the parties involved.
He also asked the lawyer to appear with the suspect and surety for the continuation of the investigation and warned that the solicitor could face legal action over alleged obstruction of an offender and defamation of character if the matter was not resolved.
Matter Now Before Police Authorities
The allegations and counter-allegations have now placed the conduct of the FCID Annex, Gombe, under scrutiny, with the NBA calling for an independent investigation and the AIG insisting that the accusations are baseless.
The NBA has said it is prepared to provide information gathered by its committee to the relevant authorities, while the AIG has challenged the complainant to produce evidence supporting the allegations.
As the matter awaits further action by the Inspector-General of Police, neither the allegations of extortion nor the counter-allegations against the lawyer have been judicially established.
The outcome of any official investigation is therefore expected to determine whether the allegations have merit and whether any disciplinary or legal action is warranted.
About The Author
