The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has detained four police officers for allegedly extorting N53,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN. This incident has brought renewed attention to recent cases where police extort ICPC chairman and other officials.
According to The Punch, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed the development. He did this while briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday.
Sanusi said the officers abandoned their respective duty posts. Furthermore, they formed a group that mounted an unauthorised checkpoint around the Banex area of Wuse.
The officers allegedly stopped the ICPC chairman without knowing his identity. Then, they forced him to withdraw N53,000 through a Point of Sale operator.
Aliyu reportedly paid the transaction charges before the officers shared the money among themselves.
“I must say here too that we have about four police officers in custody as we speak who successfully extorted somebody of high importance, unknown to them that this person is a highly placed person in society. In clear terms, they extorted the Chairman of the ICPC,” Sanusi said.
“They extorted him of N53,000. They took him to a POS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges and they shared the money among themselves.”
The police commissioner described the officers as criminals who had no business wearing the police uniform.
He said investigations showed that the officers left different divisions. They then gathered in Wuse and created an illegal checkpoint to extort motorists.
“They are a gang of criminals who left various divisions, clustered together, moved to Wuse Banex and created a checkpoint where they perpetrated this act before fleeing,” he said.
Sanusi disclosed that the command declared the officers wanted after the incident.
Police investigators first arrested the alleged leader of the group, whose confession reportedly led them to the other officers.
“We got all of them. We are going to make sure they are severely punished. Those that are going to be dismissed will definitely be dismissed,” the commissioner said.
Sanusi also reminded police personnel that the Inspector-General of Police had prohibited officers on patrol from indiscriminately searching people’s mobile phones.
He advised members of the public not to surrender their phones for roadside searches. In addition, he urged them to report officers who make such demands.
“You cannot stop anybody on the road and ask the person to bring out his phone for search. If any policeman stops you and asks to search your phone, don’t agree. Call the police emergency lines and we will ask them why,” Sanusi said.
The commissioner assured residents that the command would continue enforcing the directive. Also, he promised to punish officers involved in extortion and other forms of misconduct.
“We will still enforce the IG’s directive. Some of them are on the task because they are criminally minded. They want to perpetrate such acts. If we get them, they will face disciplinary actions and will be made to face the consequences,” he added.
The allegations against the four officers remain subject to investigation and disciplinary proceedings.
