Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Gombe, yesterday vowed to take the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, to court over the allegation that the officers of the corps take money for bail.
IPMAN Gombe chairman, Ibrahim Muhammad Abdullahi, had at a press briefing on Thursday in Gombe, alleged that men of the NSCDC go out on inspection to harass and even take money before granting bail to those arrested.
However, the NSCDC Gombe Commandant, Waziri Goni, irked by the IPMAN comment said the NSCDC will institute a law suit against IPMAN for defamation, saying he was very surprised that such comment is coming from them.
Addressing journalists in his office in Gombe, Goni said 30 members of IPMAN were arrested for hoarding petroleum products and sundry offences and were later released on bail by the court of law.
“So I am surprised that those same people who came here begging us to release their people after series of meetings now go out to misinform the public that we take bribe from them. That is why we are determined to make sure they go and explain themselves in a court of law. This is a serious allegation and we are not going to take it lightly with them,” he said.
Goni lamented that on several occasions, the NSCDC had held meetings with IPMAN, only for them to go and do contrary to the agreement in the meeting.
He said some of those arrested by his men are not first time offenders but three or four time’s offender of the same offense of which they had earlier pleaded guilty and granted bail.
“On several occasions I have warned them not to give bribe to my men and to also report any of my men that demands for bribe from them. So if there is any of such case, this office is open to them to lodge their complaints and it will be treated expressly. In any case, bribery is an offense that no serious security agency will overlook. So I am going to take this one up and they have to name that officer who took bribe from them,” he said.
He wondered why the IPMAN in Gombe has continued to sell petrol higher than the pump price approved for them by the government, adding that the public may have to resort to prayers against saboteurs in the country.