Official police records have emerged that police say directly contradict corruption allegations levelled against Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, as a civil society group and a national advocacy movement publicly threw their weight behind his handling of the Ajiran community murder case.
AIG Jimoh, who now commands Zone 2 in Lagos, had been accused by social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), of being “extremely corrupt” and “a threat to the justice system” over his role in investigating the killings of Prince Kazeem Ademola Akinloye and Mr Sheriff Ishola Salami.
VDM had dared Jimoh to sue for criminal defamation if the claims were false, and pointed to the alleged absence of initial statements from two suspects, identified as Fabo and Bariga, as evidence of wrongdoing.
But a detailed memo signed by Jimoh on April 22 and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) lays out a different account, according to police sources.
The memo was submitted in response to a separate petition from lawyers representing murder suspect and businessman Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi, who had also accused Jimoh of bias and abuse of office.
According to the records, the case was reopened not on Jimoh’s own initiative but following a direct order from the IGP.
Chief Rotimi Williams’ Chambers had petitioned the IGP on January 7 on behalf of the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family of Ajiran, alleging the murders remained unresolved.
The Principal Staff Officer to the IGP, CP Lateef Adio Ahmed, conveyed the directive to Jimoh, then Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, on January 8, instructing him to investigate.
On the question of Akanbi’s arrest, the file states that investigators recorded statements from five complainants and witnesses, including the victim’s widow, who described watching her husband being shot and machete-cut while fleeing his pursuers.
Two arrested suspects, Shafi Fatai (alias Fabo) and Yusuf Ismaila (alias Bariga), separately told police that Akanbi ordered and financed both killings, naming payments of N2 million and N3 million.
The memo also cites a community witness who said he recorded a phone call in which Akanbi allegedly pleaded for help securing the suspects’ release and the withdrawal of the murder cases, in exchange for releasing disputed community land, a recording the witness says he played for the investigating officer.
On the legality of the arrest, court records attached to the memo show two orders: one from Magistrate Court 3, Ogba, Ikeja, on February 16, granting police leave to arrest and remand Akanbi for 14 days, and a second from the Federal High Court, Lagos, on April 10, ordering a warrant of arrest over “a reported case of conspiracy and murder.”
A Magistrate Court later set aside the February 16 order on procedural grounds, the applying counsel’s right of audience, and a subsequent application directed only that Akanbi report to police within 48 hours of his return.
The Federal High Court order of April 10, issued after those rulings, remained in force.
The memo further denies any personal contact between Jimoh and Akanbi following the latter’s arrest by INTERPOL Benin on April 15, stating that Akanbi was handed to INTERPOL Nigeria and detained at SCID Panti under Lagos Command ahead of formal transfer to Zone 2.
Jimoh describes his own role as coordinating with INTERPOL officials in Abuja and Lagos to secure Akanbi’s repatriation.
In a letter addressed to Jimoh, the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) commended his office for what it called professionalism, diligence, and strategic leadership in the investigation.
CHSR president, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, said the arrest of Akanbi and other suspects, and the process that led to their arraignment, had helped restore public confidence in the police.
The group did, however, raise concerns about the conduct of some operatives of the Delta Force Unit, SCID Panti, Lagos, whom it accused of showing bias in favour of the accused during ongoing court proceedings, and urged Jimoh’s office to ensure officers maintained neutrality as the case proceeds.
The National Patriots Movement of Nigeria also issued a statement saying the emerging documentary record reinforces confidence in Jimoh’s integrity.
In a statement signed by its president, Princess G. Adebajo-Fraser, the group argued that “allegations must never take precedence over documentary evidence, due process and the rule of law,” and pointed to Jimoh’s record as a decorated officer, including the National Patriots Award for Outstanding Professional Excellence, Courage, Integrity and Service to the Nation.
The statement credited Jimoh’s tenure as Lagos Commissioner of Police with sustained operations against armed robbery, kidnapping and cult-related crime, and argued that officers who pursue difficult investigations “without fear or favour” often attract criticism from those unhappy with the direction of a case.
Adding to the wave of support, the Coalition of Core Activists for Good Governance, in a statement dated July 20 and signed by Comrade Chief Declan Ogujionu Ihekaire, said its members paid a solidarity visit to Jimoh over his handling of the case.
The coalition described itself as having been at the forefront of calls for the investigation and prosecution of those linked to the killings of Salami, who was killed on April 18, 2023, and Akinloye, the first son of the Ojomu of Ajiranland, killed on August 26, 2024.
The group said Jimoh assumed office as Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, on February 18, 2025, and that his office acted after receiving a petition from Olarotimi Williams Chambers requesting investigation and prosecution over the two killings.
It said the resulting investigation led to the arrest of two suspects who gave confessional statements implicating themselves and naming a sponsor, statements the coalition said led to Akanbi, also identified in the statement as Ahmed Ajiran or Hamed Tajudeen, being declared wanted as the alleged principal sponsor of the killings, before his eventual arrest in the Benin Republic.
The coalition alleged that, once it became clear police would not drop the case, associates of the suspect turned to lobbying powerful figures, including relations of the then Commissioner of Police, to have the prosecution halted.
It said it would be inappropriate to comment further on a matter still before the courts, but maintained that available information indicated justice was being pursued.
The statement described Jimoh as “one of the pillars of support of the Nigeria Police” and urged the public to disregard what it called false narratives pushed on social media by parties linked to the accused.
The prosecution of Akanbi, Fatai and Ismaila is ongoing. Both the CHSR and the National Patriots Movement, while backing the AIG’s conduct, stressed that the matter should be left to the courts to determine, and that all parties, including the accused, are entitled to a fair hearing under the law. #Securitynewsalert.com
