The Kwara State Police Command has launched an investigation into alleged extortion by some officers stationed along the Osi-Eruku highway in the Kwara South Senatorial District.
This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the command’s spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in Ilorin.
Ejire-Adeyemi said the command was aware of a viral video showing police personnel allegedly demanding money from motorists.
She said, “The Command is aware of a video footage circulating on social media alleging that police officers on duty were involved in an act of extortion along Osi-Eruku road in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident. If the officers involved are identified and found guilty, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
“The Command remains committed to upholding professionalism, integrity, and accountability in all its operations.”
In the viral video, a visibly angry motorist accused the officers of abandoning their duty to fight kidnappers and instead preying on road users.
“They are assigned to fight kidnappers, but they are here collecting money from motorists. There is no day that kidnappers do not kill people in this area. You don’t go into the forests to face them, but you are here collecting money,” the driver said.
Motorists who ply the Osi-Eruku route confirmed that several informal checkpoints had been set up, where officers allegedly collect cash from every vehicle before allowing passage.
Some drivers claimed that refusal to pay often led to harassment or seizure of their car keys.
Local residents and traders lamented that the actions of the officers have worsened their hardship, calling on the Kwara State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police to urgently intervene.
They urged that the officers be redeployed to forest areas where kidnappers have been operating freely.
