Separating Fact from Fiction: Setting the Records Straight -By Shehu Usman

In recent days, the public space has been polluted with deliberate misinformation aimed at discrediting the Nigeria Police Force and its leadership. Chief among the falsehoods is the claim that the Police have approached the courts to freeze the accounts of Sahara Reporters and its publisher, Omoyele Sowore. This is pure fiction. As at today, the Nigeria Police Force has not filed any such application in any court of law.

Those peddling this lie know the truth. They also know that by repeating it enough times, they hope to sway public opinion against the Inspector-General of Police. But facts are stubborn things. The records remain clear and unambiguous: no application has been filed. If anyone insists otherwise, let them provide evidence instead of blackmailing the Police with propaganda and conjecture.

Even more troubling is the absurd attempt to compare the dark days of military dictatorship with today’s democratic process. Some have argued that military juntas under Generals Babangida and Abacha never froze the accounts of media houses or human rights organizations they suppressed. This reasoning is as dishonest as it is ridiculous. The military didn’t bother with court orders because they had no regard whatsoever for the law. They simply sent armed soldiers to lock the gates of media houses and to silence critics by brute force. To now glorify such tyranny while condemning lawful recourse to the courts is nothing but intellectual dishonesty.

Let it be made clear: the Nigeria Police Force is not in competition with the National Security Adviser or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Police are the constitutionally recognized number one internal security agency in Nigeria. Investigating allegations of terrorism financing, money laundering, or any other offence falls squarely within its powers. For anyone to suggest otherwise is laughable. The EFCC itself is an offspring of the Nigeria Police Force, created on the foundation of police investigative capacity. Claiming the Police are “usurping” anyone’s duties only exposes either ignorance or mischief.

The lazy narrative that ongoing police investigations are “personal battles” is another propaganda tool. The Nigeria Police do not operate on emotions or grudges. They operate on evidence and the law. If investigations produce credible facts pointing to wrongdoing, lawful steps will be taken, including approaching the courts where necessary. No amount of noise, sponsored write-ups, or campaigns of calumny will deter the Police from fulfilling their mandate.

It is also important to address the claim that the IGP’s actions “embarrass” the Tinubu administration. Nothing could be further from the truth. What truly embarrasses a government is when its security institutions are blackmailed into inaction, leaving criminals, financiers of violence, or lawbreakers to operate freely because of fear of bad press. Upholding the law, acting transparently, and following due process are the very things that strengthen, not weaken, democracy.

The Nigeria Police Force will not be intimidated. It will not be distracted. And it will not abandon its duty because of orchestrated blackmail. The facts remain: no application has been filed in court to freeze Sowore’s accounts. But if ongoing investigations produce evidence strong enough to warrant such action, it will be pursued, decisively, lawfully, and without fear or favour.

No propaganda can change this truth. No campaign of falsehood will weaken the resolve of the Police to protect Nigerians and safeguard the nation.

Shehu Usman is a Public Affairs Analyst