Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has made fresh allegations accusing senior officials of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) of enabling and protecting an alleged multi-billion-naira Ponzi scheme operated by Jesam Michael, a man he described as one of Nigeria’s most notorious fraudsters.
In a detailed statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Sowore claimed that Jesam Michael enjoyed institutional protection from top police officials while running the alleged fraudulent operation, which reportedly scammed thousands of Nigerians and left many financially devastated.
According to Sowore, he met Jesam Michael at Kuje Correctional Centre in October 2025, where Jesam allegedly disclosed how senior police officers provided him with armed escorts, office space, and operational cover to freely run the scheme. Sowore further alleged that Jesam claimed to have bribed a former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dasuki Galandachi, with ₦250 million to secure immunity from arrest and prosecution.
Sowore also alleged that Jesam refurbished and equipped facilities at the Nigeria Police Headquarters in Abuja, including the so-called Legal Pavilion used by police lawyers and the Special Investigative Unit (SIU). He claimed that Jesam built houses for serving police officers, including a Chief Superintendent of Police identified as Emmanuel and Asuquo, a former Principal Staff Officer to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Further allegations named ACP Bukola Kuti, said to be a senior staff officer at the Police Headquarters, as having ongoing links with Jesam. Sowore claimed that officers attached to the Legal Pavilion are currently prosecuting five alleged victims of the Ponzi scheme on cybercrime charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja, despite being the complainants in the alleged fraud.
The victims are reportedly being represented by human rights lawyer Maxwell Opara, who Sowore said was assaulted by Jesam and his aides within the court premises. He also accused police prosecutors of relentlessly pursuing the victims while shielding the alleged fraudster.
Sowore said he spoke with the police prosecutor handling the matter, Ibrahim Mohammed, who allegedly argued that the victims were inciting the public against Jesam and suggested that Jesam’s detention amounted to protective custody.
He further claimed that after his earlier exposé, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) changed Jesam’s prosecutor and subsequently granted him bail under what Sowore described as unusually lenient conditions. According to him, Jesam was allegedly required to publicly refute claims implicating the Inspector-General of Police before being released.
Sowore also alleged that Jesam has since joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and is being positioned to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives in Cross River State.
Additional claims suggested that officers within the Force Intelligence Department are still assisting Jesam, while large sums from the alleged Ponzi scheme remain in a cryptocurrency wallet reportedly linked to his wife, who Sowore said was aided by security operatives to flee.
“These allegations point to organised criminality operating from within the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force,” Sowore said.
