The Gombe State Ministry of Justice on Thursday threatened legal action against the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Emmanuel Agene, over an alleged N3.6m unpaid accommodation bill at the state-owned Gombe International Hotel.
A certified true copy dated October 13,2026 signed by chairman, MT Jungudo; member, Alhassan Muazu, member Bulus Umaru and Registrar Umar Abdullahi, with suit number GSRT/002CV/2026 was obtained by our correspondent.
The ministry also accused the senior police officer of allegedly removing hotel property, including duvets, bedsheets, cups, kettles and other kitchen utensils, after vacating the apartment.
The Director of Legal Drafting at the ministry, Barrister Haruna Yelma, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Gombe on Thursday, where he narrated how the state government secured a court judgment against Agene over the outstanding accommodation bills.
Yelma said Agene approached the management of Gombe International Hotel for accommodation when he was posted to the state in February 2026.
According to him, the hotel management offered the police officer a furnished two-bedroom apartment at a discounted rate, reducing the usual charge of about N120,000 per night to between N40,000 and N50,000.
He, however, alleged that Agene occupied the apartment for between two and three months without paying for the accommodation.
“When the hotel management approached him for payment, he became very unfriendly. They sent him letters through the post, but he refused to receive them,” Yelma said.
He explained that following the alleged refusal to pay, the hotel management sought the state government’s approval to engage the Ministry of Justice to recover the outstanding revenue.
Yelma said the ministry subsequently issued a letter of demand to Agene, adding that the outstanding accommodation bill had reached N3,653,000 as of June 2026.
He said the ministry eventually approached the court for an order permitting substituted service after the police officer allegedly refused to accept correspondence from the authorities.
According to him, the court granted the application, allowing the ministry to paste the relevant court documents on the apartment occupied by Agene.
He alleged that the police officer failed to respond to the court processes despite being given opportunities to defend himself.
“Whenever he returned from work and saw the documents pasted on the wall of the apartment, he would tear them down. We served all the processes through substituted service, but he did not respond,” Yelma said.
He added that the court subsequently entered judgment in favour of the Gombe State Government, ordering Agene to pay N3.6m in outstanding accommodation bills.
Yelma said although the ministry had sought N800,000 in damages, the court declined to grant the request.
He explained that the judgment covered the outstanding accommodation charges from February to June 2026, adding that Agene vacated the apartment after the judgment was delivered in October.
However, Yelma said the hotel management later reported that the police officer allegedly left with some of the hotel’s property, including duvets, bedsheets, cups, kettles and other utensils.
He stressed that the ministry had yet to independently establish the allegation but was prepared to investigate and pursue the matter if sufficient evidence emerged.
“We have the permission of the Attorney-General to write formally to the AIG, demanding that he pays the money he owes the hotel and returns all the properties allegedly taken away.
“If he fails to do so, we will take the matter further. When we obtain sufficient evidence and establish a prima facie case that he actually removed those properties, we will prosecute him for theft,” Yelma said.
He maintained that the government was determined to recover public funds and protect property belonging to the state, regardless of the status of those involved.