FCT Police Detain Four Officers for Allegedly Extorting ₦53,000 from ICPC Boss.
Four police officers are now in detention in Abuja after they allegedly set up an illegal checkpoint and demanded money from a motorist who turned out to be the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN).
The officers reportedly abandoned their official duty posts and mounted an unauthorised stop-and-search operation around the Banex area in Wuse, where they were stopping motorists and collecting money from them. Their luck ran out when they stopped the anti-corruption agency chief, who was driving through the area and was flagged down by the officers without them knowing who he was.
According to the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, who briefed journalists on Monday, the officers forced Dr. Aliyu to withdraw cash from a Point of Sale (POS) operator. The ICPC chairman had to pay ₦53,000, including transaction charges, and handed the money over to the officers, who then divided it among themselves.
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“They extorted him of ₦53,000. They took him to a POS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges, and they shared the money among themselves,” Sanusi said during the press briefing.
The police commissioner did not hold back in his assessment of the officers’ conduct, describing them as criminals who had disgraced the uniform they wear. “I must say here that we have about four policemen in custody as we speak who successfully extorted somebody of high importance, unknown to them that this person is highly placed in society. In clear terms, they extorted the Chairman of the ICPC,” he stated/
After the ICPC chairman reported the incident, the FCT Police Command launched an investigation and declared the officers wanted. Sanusi said detectives first arrested the alleged gang leader, whose confession led them to the other three officers involved.
“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,” the commissioner added .
Sanusi assured the public that the officers would face severe disciplinary action, with dismissal from the force being a likely outcome. “We are going to make sure they are severely punished. Those that are going to be dismissed will definitely be dismissed. This I can assure you,” he said.
While the arrest has been welcomed, the incident has also raised uncomfortable questions from Nigerians on social media. One user asked: “They have been arrested because they extorted someone that’s highly connected. But who will arrest and prosecute them for the countless ordinary Nigerians they extort every single day?”
The FCT police commissioner used the opportunity to urge residents to reject unlawful phone searches and other forms of harassment by police officers. He reminded officers that the Inspector-General of Police has banned indiscriminate searches of citizens’ mobile phones during patrols.
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“You cannot stop anybody on the road and ask the person to bring out his phone for a 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 advised.
The commissioner also encouraged members of the public to report cases of extortion and other police misconduct without fear, promising that the command would investigate every complaint and ensure that erring officers face the consequences .
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