By Bassey Udo
“Do to others as you wish them do to you, for there is nothing we do in this world that would not be rewarded, either in the short run, in this life, by another man, or in the long run, in the life after, by God.”
This is the Golden Rule of life. It should occupy a prominent place on the office walls directly facing the desk of every of our leaders. Each time they sit behind their desks to do their jobs, they would be reminded, as these words stir at them, of the inevitability of God’s vengeance and reward for every justice and injustice they dispense to every person who come before them.
Simon Asamber Lough, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Head of the Legal Department of the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria’s first senior police officer to attain the enviable status of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), may have read this Golden Rule and ignored it while in office.
For several years, DCP Lough used his position as police prosecutor as an instrument for repression and oppression. Many were made to grovel on their knees in their vain pleas for Lough’s mercy and craving for justice. He did not give a hoot to their cries and wailings for justice. The Golden Rule did not have any meaning to him, as he trampled menacingly on the fundamental rights of those brought before him, unmindful of his day of reckoning.
Making an accused out of a petitioner
In October 2013, Benjamin Joseph, the Managing Director of an Ibadan-based ICT retail firm, Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited, filed a petition with the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
Joseph said some unknown persons had opened and operated a fictitious account No. 0059202675 at Access Bank, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi Branch, in his company’s name without his knowledge.
He cried to the police and wanted them to investigate the circumstances behind the strange account that was opened using a fake Board of Director’s resolution bearing the caricature of his name and signature. He wanted the identities of the perpetrators of the crime uncovered and speedily brought to book.
Solomon Arase was Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police then in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Bureau (FCIB) was in a position to satisfy Joseph’s cries.
In September 2014, the police came out with its investigative report that identified the culprits after interrogating and extracting confessional statements from them.
The culprits, the police report said, included the Managing Director of Ad’mas Technologies Limited and Pirovic Engineering Services Limited, Chief Onny Igbokwe, who worked with one Princess O. Kama, and two staff of Access Bank PLC, namely Obilo Onuoha and Deborah Ojeabo, to commit the crime.
The police said the suspects also included some officials of Zinox Group and its affiliate, Technologies Distributions Limited (now TD Africa), namely the Legal Adviser/Company Secretary, Zinox Group and TD Africa, Chris Eze Ozims; a former non-executive director in TD Africa, Folashade Oyebode, and the Accountant with TD Africa, Charles Adigwe.
The police report said the suspects had approached Access Bank officials in its Awolowo Road, Ikoyi Branch to demand some confidential documents in corporate profile of Citadel Oracle Limited with them.
The documents were later used in opening the fictitious account they used to collect the payment from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in respect of a contract awarded to the company, which they hijacked, diverted and executed without the knowledge of the management of the company, including Joseph.
Despite the recommendation of the police for the high-profile suspects to be prosecuted, their arraignment and trial stalled, because Police Prosecutor, Simon Lough, refused to release the case file to the Director for Public Prosecution (DPP).
When DIG Arase later became the Inspector General of Police in 2015, Joseph sent a petition to his office highlighting his frustration in getting the police to release the case file for the prosecution of the culprits. Arase was not moved, because Lough continued to feed him with yarns of lies.
Shortly before Arase’s retirement in June 2016, then Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Lough claimed he was ordered to institute case No CR/216/16 against Jospeh who should be arraigned and tried on a one-count charge of “false petitioning”. He drafted the suspects as his witnesses.
In December 2016, following several protests by Joseph, the Attorney General of the Federation directed the DPP to take over the prosecution of the case by the police. Lough was directed to hands off the prosecution and release the case file to the DPP. He refused.
Rather he instigated one Innocent Eremionkhale of Integrity Law Firm, to file a petition against the AGF’s directive by the AGF on the ground that there was a civil case pending against Joseph over the matter.
Joseph shouted against his victimization and accused Lough of working hand in gloves with the then director, International and Comparative Law in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Stella Anukam, to draft the petition which misinformed the AGF into reversing himself on his earlier directive.
Again, in 2021, the AGF, after describing Joseph’s prosecution as “unjustified persecution”, directed the DPP to take over the prosecution by the police of the case before Justice Peter Ekekemeke of the FCT High Court, Maitama. Again, Lough was adamant in releasing the case file. Like Pharoah, he would not let the children of Israel free from captivity.
In June 2024, the AGF intervened again by ordering the DPP to take over the case. Despite the take over of the case by the DPP, Lough was insistent on continuing the prosecution when it appeared the Justice Ministry officials were slow in taking steps to bring the matter to effective closure.
Even when Justice Kekemeke finally discharged and acquitted Joseph of the charge, following a nolle prosequi entered by the new AGF and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Lough still went ahead to instigate six of the suspects to file an originating motion in suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/376/2024 seeking an order for an interlocutory injunction to restrain the AGF from giving the order.
He did not only question the authority of the AGF to order the termination of his continued prosecution of the petitioner-turned accused, he asked the court to set aside the AGF’s order and direct that the status quo be maintained.
Prosecutor-turns the prosecuted
February 6, 2025, it was reported that DCP Lough, SAN, was among seven top police officers listed for investigation and possible prosecution over alleged unethical professional conduct bordering on falsification of service records.
The Police said other affected officers included Idowu Owohunwa, an Assistant Inspector General, who is the Head of Interpol in Nigeria, along with his colleagues, Abdul Yari, and Benneth Igwe, the DIG in charge Zone 7 in the Federal Capital Territory as well as Peter Ukachi Opara and Obo Obo Ukani, both Commissioners of Police, and Akpan Brown, an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
The order for the immediate and thorough investigation of the officers was contained in a memo dated January 13, 2025, signed by the Force Secretary, Olofu Rhoda, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, and sent to the head of the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit in Abuja, constituted to enforce discipline in the force.
In the memo, the police high command headed by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, accused DCP Lough and the other six senior police officers of engaging in unethical professional conducts bordering on “backdating their history records”.
The investigation followed a petition dated January 6, 2025 by a civil society group, the Integrity Youth Alliance, Abuja that the seven senior officers manipulated their service records to extend their tenure beyond their official period they were supposed to retire.
Findings from the investigation by the IGP Monitoring Unit were to be submitted not later than Monday, January 20, 2025.
Following the submission of the report of its findings, the police hierarchy headed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced that DCP Lough, along with other officers implicated in the scandal, be retired immediately from service for forgery, falsification, and bypassing oof service regulations.
The affected officers are to join several others who were either over 60 years of age, or served in the Force for more than 35 years.
The compulsory retirement of DCP Lough and other senior officers was conveyed in a letter dated February 1, 2025, signed by CP Bode Akinbamilowo, a Deputy Force Secretary, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, and addressed to the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Commandants of Police Staff Colleges at Jos and Kano, Commissioners of Police and Commandants of Police Colleges across the country.
Lough’s contradictory service records
Apart from at least half a dozen of age declaration certificates, DCP Lough service records in the public domain contradict what are available in the police system.
While the police said its records showed DCP Lough joined the Force as a Cadet in 2000, his official public data showed he did more than 13 years later.
Official records with the general nominal roll of the legal section of the Federal Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Abuja, showed DCP Lough, who claimed he was born on May 14, 1969, enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force in January 1, 1987. This means he should have retired since January 1, 2022, after clocking 35 years in service.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the former Chairman of Young Lawyers Forum, Adekunle Olanipekun, DCP Lough claimed he was called to the Nigerian Bar on January 1, 2001.
Yet, the Nominal Roll for Cadet ASP (Force Entrants) for Cadet ASP Course 20/2000-2001 at Police Staff College, Jos, Plateau State, showed DCP Lough listed then as Sergeant on Grade Level 05.
In December 2021, when DCP Lough was admitted to the Inner Bar of the Nigerian legal system as the first Nigerian police officer to attain the status of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the police said he was “appointed as a cadet officer (ASP) into the service of the Nigeria Police Force in the year 2000.”
DCP Lough who, like other affected officers said to be in possession of about a half a dozen of age declaration certificates, are to refund all monies received from government coffers for the additional number years they stayed illegally in the Force in violation of Public Service Rule No 020908 (i & ii), which provides for retirement on attainment of 35 years in service, or 60 years of age.
The sad reality is that Justice Posterity did not even allow DCP Lough the luxury of waiting till his after this realm before his reward spoken about in the Golden Rule.
If we were in a sane society, apart from refunding all the monies received illegally for the number of years he falsified his service records and remained in office, the law should proceed to begin the process of withdrawing the Senior Advocate oof Nigeria (SAN) title and other privileges he may have been vested with over the years to serve as a deterrent for others who may want to tread his damning path.
