Daniel Itse Amah, a Plateau-born police officer was recently awarded by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) for outrightly rejecting a bribe from armed robbery syndicate.
Amah who hails from Jos East Local Government of Plateau State, had turned down a $200,000 kickback from the robbers, WikkiTimes learnt. This, however, walked him to the hall of fame on Tuesday when President Muhammadu Buhari gave him the ICPC’s 2022 Public Service Integrity Award.
Some weeks earlier, he was awarded by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba for his selfless service.
Amah led the arrest and prosecution of one Ali Zaki along with some police officers in August 2022, in a case of an armed robbery involving the sum of N320,500,000.
In the course of investigating a robbery case which was reported to a Police Division in Kano State where he was the DPO, the principal suspect offered him a bribe of $200,000 to cover up the crime, but he rejected the bribe.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, extolled the police officer saying he had done the state a proud.
In a statement by the state’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Simon Macham, Governor Lalong congratulated Amah for his honesty and patriotism to reject the temptation to participate in corruption and conceal the crime.
The governor, as written in the statement, said Amah has made his family, Plateau State and Nigeria proud by his actions.
He urged him to keep the spirit, calling on other Nigerians in all sectors to emulate the exemplary conduct of the Plateau-born officer which he described as one of the qualities Nigeria requires to be transformed.
Amah joined the Nigerian Police Force as a Cadet Inspector in 2002 and he is currently serving as a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Bompai Police Station in the Nasarawa local council in Kano State.
Babaji Usman Babaji is an investigative journalist with over four years of experience, renowned for his impactful reporting on corruption, human rights violations, and holding those in power accountable in Nigeria.
His career is distinguished by participation in numerous media training programs and conferences, which have honed his investigative and reporting skills. Babaji’s data-driven stories have made a significant impact, particularly in Northern Nigeria, shedding light on critical issues and driving meaningful change.
As a reporter under WikkiTimes’ Collaborative Media (CMEDIA) Project, Babaji has led several groundbreaking investigations. He was a 2022 fellow of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and a 2024 Media Foundation for West Africa DPI/DPG fellow. His contributions to accountability journalism earned him a Certificate of Recognition from Xchange Hama Media for impactful community work.
