Former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero. Source: Sahara Reporters

Justice Silvanus Oriji of the FCT High Court, Apo, on Tuesday acquitted a former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero; and a Commissioner of Police, Budget, John Obaniyi, of N16.4m fraud charge.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ehindero and Obaniyi were arraigned on May 10, 2018 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences commission.

Delivering judgment, Justice Oriji held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the defendants and failed to prove that they converted the said interest generated to their personal use.

“I therefore uphold the defendants’ no case submission. The defendants are hereby discharged,” he said.

At the close of the prosecution’s case, the counsel for Ehindero, Kelvin Omoraw, and Samuel Odariko, representing Obaniyi, had filed a no-case submission.

sThe ICPC had accused the former IGP and Obaniyi of misappropriating the sum of N557m donated by the Bayelsa Government to the Nigeria Police Force for the purchase of arms and ammunition.

The prosecution alleged that the two defendants used their positions to divert N500m out of the N557m into separate fixed deposit accounts belonging to them.

The N500m placed in fixed deposits, according to the anti-corruption commission, yielded N16.4m interest, which they were accused of converting to personal use.