EXCLUSIVE: Nigeria Police Probe DIG Zango After Estranged Egyptian Wife Alleges Threats, Harassment, Account Blocking | Sahara Reporters

The allegations were contained in a petition submitted by Aliyu Saiki, SAN & Co. on behalf of Saleh to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters.

A police investigation into allegations of abuse of office, threats, harassment and unlawful interference with bank accounts levelled against Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Ibrahim Baba Zango has linked the dispute to an unresolved marital disagreement involving his estranged wife, Karma Saleh.

The allegations were contained in a petition submitted by Aliyu Saiki, SAN & Co. on behalf of Saleh to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters.

The petition was referred through Letter No. CB:7050/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.200/28 dated April 29, 2026, to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), and subsequently endorsed to the Counter Intelligence Unit for discreet investigation and a report.

According to the investigation report signed by DIG Zachariah Fera Achiya, the petitioner alleged that Zango had engaged in a series of unlawful, malicious, threatening and oppressive acts against her following their separation after a failed marriage.

Saleh alleged that the senior police officer had made criminal allegations against her, threatened her with arrest and deportation through Interpol, blocked her bank accounts and those of some of her friends, monitored her financial transactions and used his position and influence in the Nigeria Police Force against her.

She further alleged that Zango used his office to initiate a criminal case against her at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex in Kaduna.

She identified the Investigating Police Officer handling the case as SP DanMallam, whom she accused of acting on the DIG’s instructions to harass her.

According to the petition, DanMallam allegedly demanded and received N200,000 from her on the understanding that the money would facilitate the unblocking of her bank accounts, but the accounts allegedly remained blocked.

The petitioner also alleged that the threats and harassment continued despite the payment.

During the investigation, Saleh was invited to adopt her petition and provide a written statement. She also supplied further information and documents in support of her allegations.

In her statement, Saleh, a 29-year-old Egyptian student, said she married Zango under the Marriage Act on January 8, 2020.

“My name is Karma Saleh. I am from Egypt. I am a student. I got married to Ibrahim Baba Zango DIG on 8th January, 2020 under the Marriage Act,” she said.

She said the couple did not live together for an extended period and had no children.

“We never stayed together much as I always stayed on my own. I only visit him once in a while. We have no children together. We have been separated for several years now,” she stated.

Saleh said she was no longer interested in the marriage and had commenced divorce proceedings at the High Court in Lagos.

“I am not interested in the marriage and I have filed a petition for divorce. I have a copy of my petition for divorce which I filed at the High Court in Lagos,” she said, adding that she submitted a photocopy of the divorce petition to the police during the investigation.

She also alleged that she discovered in December 2025 that her Access Bank account had been blocked.

“I tried to find out from my bank through email why my account was blocked but they refused to tell me,” she said.

According to Saleh, she subsequently learnt that the bank allegedly had instructions to arrest her if she visited the bank to conduct transactions.

She added that she was outside Nigeria when the account was blocked.

The police report said Zango also submitted a written statement in response to the allegations and denied the claims made against him.

Instead, the DIG accused Saleh of conspiring with one of her friends to defraud him of N2 million.

According to the report, Zango alleged that the money was intended for the purchase of a laptop and a tablet, which he said he had not received.

The DIG also alleged that Saleh was in possession of five of his vehicles.

The investigation report, however, noted that the issues between the two parties appeared to be rooted largely in their unresolved marital dispute.

In its conclusion, the investigation team said the dispute appeared to have originated from the breakdown of the marriage but recommended further scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the blocking of Saleh’s bank accounts.

“Flowing from above, it will appear that the issues between the petitioner and DIG Ibrahim Baba Zango stemmed entirely from unresolved marital dispute,” the report stated.

It nevertheless said there was a need for a “diligent probe” into the circumstances surrounding the blocking of the petitioner’s accounts by the FCID Annex in Kaduna, particularly because the allegation involved possible abuse of office.

The report therefore recommended that the case being investigated at the FCID Annex, Kaduna, be transferred for an independent review.

“Therefore, it is humbly recommended that the Inspector-General of Police approve the transfer of the case under investigation at the Force CID Annex, Kaduna for a review,” the report stated.

The recommendation was contained in a report submitted to the Inspector-General of Police by DIG Zachariah Fera Achiya, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Intelligence Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The report did not make a definitive finding that Zango unlawfully blocked Saleh’s accounts or abused his office. It, however, called for the circumstances surrounding the account restrictions and the handling of the related criminal case to be reviewed.

In March, the Police Service Commission (PSC) approved the promotion of seven Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to the rank of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs), as part of a major restructuring of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force.

The promotion came amid changes to the Force’s top command structure under Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu.

Among those elevated was Ibrahim Baba Zango, who previously served as the AIG in charge of the Department of Logistics and Supply at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

In that capacity, Zango was responsible for overseeing the procurement and distribution of operational equipment, uniforms, vehicles and other logistical resources for police formations and personnel across the country.