An Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Abduyari Lafia of the Police Intelligence Department (FID), Force Headquarters Abuja, has petitioned the Ambassador of the United States of America to Nigeria, Mr. Richard M. Mills, accusing the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun of aborting justice to a U.S Lady allegedly raped by an Indian who stood trial in Benue but now at large.
In the petition, he alleged that an Indian, Mr. Kumar Gaurav, was found to have raped an American lady, Miss Malory Henry, after which a prima facie case of rape was established and taken before a High Court of Justice in Benue State where the Indian stood as defendant.
Abduyari further alleged in the petition dated August 1, 2025 which he copied to Ambassadors of India, Britain, France, People’s Republic of China, Federal Republic of Germany,, Italy and the Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Abuja, that the IGP Kayode Egbetokun directed the withdrawal of the case marked “No: MHC/42C/2023, between Inspector-General of Police vs Kumar Gaurav, at the High Court of Justice Benue State of Nigeria “.
He alleged that as soon as the defendant’s “no case submission” was dismissed by the trial judge, the defendant allegedly reached out to prominent members of his (AIG’s) royal family in Lafia, Nasarawa State in a bid to pressure him to drop the charges, but when the moves failed, the defendant offered him a bribe of 100million Naira which he turned down insisting that the accused should face trial in the interest of justice to the victim.
The AIG further alleged that the IGP directed the termination of the rape case after the court had refused the defendant’s ‘no case submission ‘ and ordered him (the defendant) to enter his defence.
The petition titled:
HOW IGP KAYODE EGBETOKUN SHEILDED A SUSPECT IN A CASE OF RAPE AGAINST AN AMERICAN CITIZEN* read in part as follows:
“1st August, 2025.
The Honorable Richard M. Mills,
Ambassador of the United States of America,
U.S Embassy Abuja,
Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drivers test
Central District Area,
Abuja, Nigeria.
“I write with the best compliments of my office and with the ardent hope and belief that this information meets His Excellency and the good officers and staff of the American Embassy well.
This is also to intimate His Excellency on the injustice meted to one of its citizens by IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Sometime in April 2023, a case of rape was reported to the office of then IGP Usman Baba Alkali, involving an Indian man and an American lady, where it was alleged that the suspect, one Mr. Kumar Gurav an Assistant Manager with Olam Rice Nigeria, resident in Makurdi, Benue State raped the victim, an American citizen working in Nigeria, Miss Malory Henry who was a colleague of the suspect.
“This case was referred to then Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), now Force Intelligence Department (FID), for discreet investigation by the former IGP Alkali who directed that I personally handle the investigation due to its international dimension involving foreign nationals.
“The fact of this case is that the victim alleged that her colleague, Mr. Kumar Gurav, lured her to his home in Makurdi, Benue State, on 30th March, 2023, for dinner while she was on official assignment from Abuja, where he drugged and brutally raped her, including forceful anal penetration without her consent, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable by Section 284 of the Penal Code Law, a crime that not only violates the dignity and safety of the victim but also poses a serious threat to societal values, law and order.
“Consequent upon this directive, the Bureau commenced investigation where it was found that both the suspect and the victim were staffs of Olam Rice Nigeria. That the victim and the suspect, Kumar Gurav, were in Makurdi, Benue State, in the house of the suspect as alleged.
“It was further established by medical examination after the suspect was taken into custody that the victim was raped by him. It is on the weight of this incontrovertible evidence that Mr. Kumar Gurav was denied bail and further investigation was conducted.
” Having been faced with plethora of evidence against him, he offered the sum of One Hundred Million Naira (N100, 000, 000) to myself and the team to “assist” him compromise the case. When his overtures to bribe the team failed, the suspect traced some influential members of my family and sought their intervention to “assist” in resolving the case in his favor which was resisted.
“Upon the conclusion of investigation, a prima facie case of Rape was established against Mr. Kumar Gaurav and he was subsequently charged to court and arraigned on May 12, 2023, in Charge No: MHC/42C/2023, between Inspector-General of Police vs Kumar Gaurav, at the High Court of Justice Benue State of Nigeria, before his Lordship, Honorable Justice T. A. Kume.
” However, upon the assumption of duty of Kayode Egbetokun as the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), he began to show unusual interest in the matter in favor of the suspect, Mr. Kumar Gaurav. Despite the undue pressure mounted by him to compound the case, I ensured that the trial of the Defendant commenced on 16th June, 2023.
“Unfortunately, while the trial of the Defendant proceeded without hitches, DIG Kayode Egbetokun was appointed Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on the 19th June, 2023, thus providing him with the opportunity to obstruct the course of justice.
“Rather than entering his defense as ruled by the Court, the Defense took steps to shield the defendant from justice through a frivolous petition to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on a matter already before the court. This action was encouraged by the Commissioner of Police Legal, CP Ehiozoba Ehiede and IGP Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police.
“Consequently, on July 17th, 2024, the unthinkable happened where the Prosecutor ASP Edwin Ochayi was ordered by the Commissioner of Police Legal, CP Ehiozoba Ehiede, acting on the directive of IGP Kayode Egbetokun to terminate the case before the court.”
,”It is worthy to mention that the IGP’s pretext in calling for the review of the case is nothing but a smokescreen to shield the suspect from prosecution and subsequent punishment by way of conviction.
” In all intent and purposes, an honest review of a case file may be conducted without termination or withdrawal of the matter before the court. It requires just a copy of the duplicate case file for such a review, while the matter would still be ongoing in court, but in this instant case, the original case file was retrieved and the criminal proceedings before the court was illegally aborted by the action of IGP Egbetokun.
“Probably frustrated by this action, the trial Judge of the High Court of Benue State, Makurdi, his Lordship, Honorable Justice T. A. Kume, discharged and acquitted the Defendant without entering his defense. The action of the judge can be said to have been catalyzed by the corruption and abuse of office by IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
“This development which aided the Defendant in evading justice is not only a sad commentary on our criminal justice system but a pointer to the impunity in which IGP Kayode Egbetokun runs the Police Force with so much faith in the deficiency of the system and in his relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has been his long time boss since 1999
“I am constrained to write this petition and draw your attention to this ignoble injustice meted to your citizen (Miss Malory Henry) and the impunity with which it was carried out by IGP Kayode Egbetokun who operates above the law. I am also duty bound between my conscience and oath of office to protect the sanctity of our laws and victims of crime irrespective of race, religion, tribe or nationality.
“These responsibilities and the promise I made to Miss Malory Henry that she will get justice weigh heavily on my neck like a pendulum too heavy to bear. It is for these reasons that I will do everything that is humanly possible within the confines of the law to expose this abuse by IGP Kayode Egbetokun, with the sole aim of getting justice for Miss Malory Henry who has been let down by our Criminal Justice System”, the AIG stated.
Meanwhile, to get the response of Police authorities in Abuja to the AIG’s petition, messages were sent to the phone number of the new Force Police Public Relations Officer (FPPRO), Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin.
While there was no response, other efforts to reach him at the point of filing the story proved abortive.
