AFRICMIL calls for freedom, safety of whistleblower arrested by Katsina State Police Command
The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has called on the police to free a whistle blower, Mubarak Bello, who was arrested by the Katsina State Police Command.
In a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the centre expressed fear for Bello’s safety and urged the police to immediately set him free.
AFRIMIL said Bello was being victimised for blowing whistle on the state police command payroll racket.
The petition signed by Chido Onumah, Coordinator, AFRICMIL, stated that rather arrest Bello he deserves protection of the state for carrying a patriotic duty of whistle blowing.
According to Onumah, report, with the headline: “Police hound whistleblower after exposing payroll racket” by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), was most unfortunate.
He maintained that the arrest of 38-years old Bello on September 13, 2025, by the Katsina State Police Command for “impersonation, being in possession of a fake police identity card, and unlawful possession of firearms,” was a disservice to the whistle blowing policy.
In the petition dated October 6, 2025, copies of which were sent to Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Mr. Anthony Okechukwu Ojukwu, SAN, Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Anna Myers, Executive Director, Whistleblowing International Network (WIN), Glasgow, Scotland, AFRICMIL noted that independent investigations show that Mr. Bello is being victimized by the Katsina State Police Command for blowing the whistle on ghost workers’ racket in the police payroll in Katsina State
The statement noted that Mr. Bello, an entrepreneur, who operated a business centre inside the Katsina State police headquarters, and engaged in different secretarial jobs for the police command, was arrested after “blowing the whistle on a ghost police workers’scheme allegedly perpetrated by the Katsina State Police Command many years ago. As far back as 2021, Bello blew the lid on a ghost workers’ racket in the police payroll in Katsina State when he petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, providing details about the payroll fraud, which he was privy to while running a business centre at the State Police headquarters.”
According to the coordinator of AFRICMIL, the organisation has “reasons to fear for the life of Bello following the numerous attacks he and his family have faced both before and after his arrest. Bello’s ordeal is a clear case of impunity and grave human rights violation.”
“As a Nigerian who has undertaken a patriotic duty, he deserves the protection of the State. We hope you will use your good offices to intervene in this matter and bring it to a speedy conclusion including a diligent investigation into the alleged payroll fraud and justice for Bello for the retaliation he has suffered over the years,” the statement added.
AFRICMIL is a civil society organisation that aims to promote media and information literacy as a key component in the enhancement of democracy and good governance and the promotion of accountability and orderly society. In the last eight years, it has been working on the promotion of whistleblowing and whistleblower protection through its accountability and good governance project, Corruption Anonymous (CORA).
