Dr. Akintoye Akindele
By Our Reporter
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has charged the chairman of Duport Midstream Company, Akintoye Akindele, to court for allegedly offering a police officer a bribe of N150 million.
Going by a court document filed on August 18, Mr Akindele is being charged before the Federal Capital Territory High Court for offering a bribe to a Superintendent of Police (SP), Ibrahim Sini, investigating his $5 million fraud case.
Mr Egbetokun is the claimant, and Mr Akindele is the sole respondent in the suit.
The police said the investigation followed a petition submitted to the Inspector-General of Police FIB by Summit Oil International Limited.
Dr. Akindele’s ordeal began with a petition to the Nigeria Police Force that alleges he sold crude oil to Duport Midstream Company Limited, a firm he currently serves as interim managing director, and received payment for it.
He reportedly failed to account for the transaction when confronted and opposed all attempts by the board-appointed forensic auditor to look into anomalies in the company’s financial records.
The police said his offence is punishable under section 118 of the penal Code Law.
Dr. Akindele who is also the founder of Platform Capital
has been in police custody for about three weeks and was charged before the High Court of the FCT, Abuja on Friday, August 18, 2023.
Earlier in the week, the 49 years old, Lagos businessman sued the inspector-general of police, the Nigeria Police Force, Summit Oil International Limited, Dr Zulikat Wuraola Abiola, Duport Energy Limited and Mr Oluwatosin Odusanya, before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for allegedly detaining him beyond the limit provided by the constitution.
But a court showed that police alleged that Akindele made an initial payment of N50 million out of the N150m he offered to facilitate his escape from custody and to enable him to flee abroad.
This bribery charge against Akindele may have validated his continued detention until investigations are concluded. Sources confirmed that the N50m was paid from an account named ‘Duport Midstream Company Limited’.
Sources said other directors and shareholders did not know of the existence of this account. Akindele is expected to be arraigned on the charges in court in Abuja next week.
