The Federal Government, on Thursday, arraigned Senator Isah Misau before an Abuja High Court at Maitama for making “injurious falsehood” against the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Ibrahim Idris and the Nigerian Police Force.
Misau who was docked on a five-count charge, pleaded not guilty before the Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello and was granted bail to the tune of N5million with two sureties in like sum.
The embattled lawmaker who is representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, had after the charges were read to him, applied through his lawyer, Chief Godwin Obla, SAN, to be granted bail on self-recognizance.
Misau said he would be available to defend all the allegations FG levelled against him, adding that he appeared before the court voluntarily to face the charges.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Salihu Bakun who represented the federal government said he was not opposed to the bail request.
Consequently, Justice Bello granted the bail application, even as he fixed November 28 for trial.
FG had in the charge marked FCT/HC/CR/345/2017, which was endorsed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, listed some of the “injurious falsehood” it said the defendant made, to include allegations that police officers paid as much as N2.5million to get special promotion and posting through the Police Service Commission.
The charge was a direct fallout of allegations Misau who himself is a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, raised against the IGP.
Misau was charged for alleging that the police boss diverted money meant for the purchase of Armoured Personnel Carriers, Sport Utility Vehicles and other exotic cars.
He was said to have falsely accused the IGP of making almost half of the mobile commanders in the country the people of his Nupe extraction.
The lawmaker, aside accusing the IGP of instituting roadblocks accross Nigeria with the purpose of extorting money from unsuspecting motorists, equally alleged that the police boss had sexual affair with female police officers.
Misau further alleged that the IGP collects illegal fees by way of security protections given to corporate organizations, eminent citizens and oil companies running into billions of Naira.
The AGF maintained that the the lawmaker had by his action utterances, committed an offence contrary to Section 393(1) of the Penal Code.
FG equally filed another seven-count charge against the lawmaker before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the second seven-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/170/2017, FG alleged that Misau falsely declared his age in affidavits he deposed to at FCT High Court and the Bauchi State Health Management Board Birth Certificate.
He was said to have submitted the false documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2011 and 2014
Meanwhile, Some of the charges against Misau read: “That you, lsah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about August 10, 2017, at Abuja and other part of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that police officers pay as much as two million, five hundred thousand naira (N2.5m) to get special promotion and posting through the Police Service Commission as published in the Daily Trust Newspaper dated August 10, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun ldris (the serving Inspector-General of Police), the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission and you thereby committed an offence.
“That you, Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about October 5, 2017, at Abuja and other part of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that about ten billion naira (N10bn) is being received by the Inspector-General of Police on a monthly basis from oil companies, banks, hotels and individuals as bribes for police protection and that is why you see people of dubious character with sirens in the country which said false statement of fact was aired in the Channels Television programme tagged ‘Politics Today’ on August 27, 2017, and published in the Daily Trust Newspaper dated October 5, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris (the serving Inspector-General of Police), the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission and you thereby committed an offence.
“That you, Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about October 5, 2017 at Abuja and other part of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that the Inspector-General of Police diverted money meant for the purchase of Armoured Personnel Carriers for the purchase of SUVs or exotic cars which said false statement of fact was aired in the Channels Television programme tagged ‘Politics Today’ on the August 27, 2017, and published in the Daily Trust Newspaper dated October 5, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris (the serving Inspector-General of Police) and the Nigeria Police Force and you thereby committed an offence.
“That you, Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about October 5, 2017, at Abuja and other part of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that the incumbent Inspector-General of Police, based on available records, series of petitions and reports from insiders, has no capacity to run the police just like the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, the IGP Mike Okiro, who also lacks similar capacity going by N300m scam and others hanging on his neck since 2011 during the presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party, where he served as the head of the security committee, which said false statement of fact was published in the THISDAY Newspaper and The Punch Newspaper both dated August 26, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun ldris (the serving Inspector-General of Police), retired IGP Mike Okiro, the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission and you thereby committed an offence
“That you, Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about October 5, 2017, at Abuja and other part of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that about ten billion naira (N10,000,000,000.00) is being received by the Inspector-General of Police on a monthly basis from oil companies, banks, hotels and individuals as bribes for police protection and that is why you see people of dubious character with sirens in the country, which said false statement of fact was aired in the Channels Television programme tagged ‘Politics Today’ on August 27, 2017 and published in the Daily Trust Newspaper dated October 5, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris (the serving Inspector-General of Police), the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission and you thereby committed an offence. – Vanguard.
