The Nigeria Police Force’s Force Intelligence Department has invited retired Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service Jafaru Ahmed to Abuja for questioning over allegations including age falsification, forgery, criminal conspiracy, extortion, bribery and blackmail, SECRET REPORTER INVESTIGATION
The allegations are set out in a petition and related documents obtained by SecretsReporters. The petition alleges that official records give three different dates of birth for Ahmed and that a ₦35 million settlement was agreed and paid at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja to suppress an earlier complaint. These claims have not been independently verified.
The police invitation, dated August 10, 2026, and signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Dalhatu Bashir on behalf of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Department, is addressed to “CGP Jafaru Ahmed Rtd”. It bears the reference number CR: 3000/FID/ABJ/PA-DESK1.
The letter says the department is investigating allegations of criminal conspiracy, age falsification, forgery and blackmail in which Ahmed’s name “featured prominently”. It asks him to report to DIG Desk 1 at the department’s complex in Area 11, Garki, Abuja, at 11 a.m. on August 13.
The invitation describes the request as being for fact-finding and cites Section 53(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
An investigation action plan dated July 29, 2026, and written by the Staff Officer for Labour and Trade Union to the DIG, lists Ahmed Muhammed Tahir of Abuja as the complainant. It names Ahmed, John Abutu, retired Deputy Comptroller-General Shehu Kanguwa and retired Deputy Comptroller-General Filibus Bitrus as suspects. The plan identifies CSP Akinlabi Ogundile, ASP Hussaini Maianguwa and ASP Florence as the investigating officers.
The plan sets out seven objectives, including verifying the age-falsification and forgery allegations; determining whether Nigerian Correctional Service records were altered to extend Ahmed’s service; investigating the alleged involvement of the named suspects in conspiracy, bribery, extortion and blackmail; and establishing whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute anyone.
The police investigation follows a petition Tahir sent to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police on May 19, 2026. Titled “Petition Against Retired CG Jafaru Ahmed and Others for Offences of Age Falsification, Forgery, Criminal Conspiracy, Extortion, Bribery, and Blackmail”, it refers to official correspondence, including a 2016 petition to the National Assembly and a letter dated February 18, 2026.
The 2026 petition alleges that the documents point to an effort to cover up the earlier complaint through financial inducements. Its allegations have not been tested in court.
Earlier complaint cited
The petition traces the matter to June 3, 2016, when a complaint about Ahmed’s date of birth was submitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. At the time, Ahmed had recently been appointed Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Prisons Service, now the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The 2016 petition, signed by Hassan D. Tukur, cited three dates of birth in official records: September 30, 1956, in the 2002 List of Senior Officers; July 21, 1957, in nominal rolls from 2008 to 2011; and July 21, 1959, in the 2014 nominal roll.
The documents cited included nominal rolls for the Sokoto Command in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and headquarters rolls for 2011 and 2014. The petition asked the House to obtain and examine the relevant records and, if the allegations were confirmed, to consider stripping Ahmed of his new rank and prosecuting him. It also asked the executive to appoint a “credible CGP”.
The 2016 petition cited a National Judicial Council decision involving two judges accused of falsifying their ages. It also referred to an earlier House recommendation that Ahmed be demoted after a member of his security detail allegedly assaulted a female lawmaker during a visit by then-Comptroller-General Peter Ekpendu to the Assembly complex.
The 2026 petition argues that the conflicting birth dates may have enabled Ahmed to remain in service beyond the retirement age that would have applied under the earlier dates. It says that, using the July 21, 1959 date in the 2014 nominal roll, Ahmed remained in office after his appointment in May 2016, received a one-year tenure extension from July 21, 2019, to July 21, 2020, and then a further extension to January 21, 2021.
The petition cites Sections 363 and 364 of the Penal Code in connection with alleged forgery and falsification of official records. Those legal claims are the petitioners’ characterisation of the alleged conduct.
Alleged settlement
The petition further alleges that after the 2016 complaint, officials acting on Ahmed’s behalf sought to suppress it. It identifies Abutu, then attached to the Nigerian Correctional Service headquarters’ Intelligence Unit, as an intermediary and alleges that he was rewarded with accelerated promotion to Level 8.
The petition asks police to investigate Abutu’s alleged role in facilitating what it describes as a compromise involving public-service positions as compensation for keeping the complaint quiet.
It also alleges that a meeting was held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja involving Tahir, retired Deputy Comptroller-General Kanguwa, who was responsible for finance and budget, and retired Deputy Comptroller-General Bitrus, who was responsible for procurement. According to the petition, those at the meeting agreed to and paid ₦35 million to suppress an investigation into the alleged falsification of Ahmed’s birth records.
The petition says the arrangement lasted for about a decade. It alleges that on February 18, 2026, Tahir wrote to the then Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, seeking action within seven days and threatening to publicise the 2016 complaint if his demands were not met.
The petition describes this as “current blackmail”. It cites Section 96 of the Penal Code in alleging conspiracy and Section 291 in alleging extortion and blackmail. It claims that the alleged conspiracy involved Ahmed, Abutu, Kanguwa, Bitrus and Tahir. The police action plan lists Tahir as the complainant and the four other men as suspects.
The petition asks police to question Ahmed about the alleged falsification of his date of birth, investigate Abutu and prosecute anyone found culpable. Attached to it are copies of the 2016 petition and Tahir’s February 18, 2026, letter to the Comptroller-General.
Ahmed left the Correctional Service in January 2021, at the end of his extended tenure. He has since emerged as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Jega/Gwandu/Aleiro Federal Constituency in Kebbi State ahead of the 2027 general election. The constituency is represented in the House of Representatives, whose Speaker received the 2016 petition.
The police invitation asks Ahmed to attend an interview as investigators pursue the objectives set out in their action plan, including determining whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute anyone.
