Four police officers attached to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have been arrested for allegedly forcing the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), to part with ₦53,000 at an illegal checkpoint in Abuja.
The officers, who reportedly did not know they were extorting Nigeria’s anti-corruption chief, allegedly compelled Aliyu to withdraw the money from a nearby Point of Sale (POS) operator before sharing the proceeds among themselves.
The shocking incident was disclosed on Monday by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, while briefing journalists in Abuja.
Sanusi described the officers as “criminals” who have no place in the Nigeria Police Force, revealing that they had abandoned their officially assigned duty posts and established an unauthorised stop-and-search checkpoint around the Banex area in Wuse, where they allegedly preyed on unsuspecting motorists and extorted money from them.
According to the police commissioner, Dr. Aliyu became one of the victims of the extortion ring after the officers stopped him and demanded money.
“They extorted the Chairman of the ICPC of ₦53,000. They took him to a POS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges and they shared the money among themselves,” Sanusi told journalists.
The commissioner said investigations revealed that the officers had formed an extortion syndicate, illegally abandoning their designated duty posts to operate around Banex, targeting motorists and other road users.
He explained that following complaints received by the command, the suspects were declared wanted.
Detectives subsequently arrested the alleged gang leader, whose confession led investigators to the remaining three officers involved in the operation.
“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,” Sanusi said.
The commissioner vowed that the command would not shield any officer found guilty of misconduct, stressing that the Nigeria Police Force would continue to identify and flush out corrupt personnel involved in extortion, illegal checkpoints and other criminal activities.
Sanusi also reiterated that police officers have no legal authority to stop members of the public during patrols and demand access to their mobile phones.
He emphasised that searching citizens’ phones at checkpoints remains prohibited under the directives of the Inspector-General of Police.
“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,” he said.
He assured residents of the Federal Capital Territory that the command remains committed to restoring public confidence in the police by investigating allegations of misconduct and ensuring that officers found guilty of extortion, abuse of office or operating illegal checkpoints face disciplinary measures.
About the Author
