The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has detained four police officers accused of extorting ₦53,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN), during an illegal stop-and-search operation in Abuja.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed the development during a media briefing on Monday, revealing that the officers had abandoned their official duty posts to set up an unauthorised checkpoint around the Banex area of Wuse, where they allegedly extorted motorists.
According to Sanusi, the officers were unaware that the victim was the ICPC chairman when they allegedly forced him to withdraw ₦53,000 through a Point of Sale (POS) operator. He added that Dr Aliyu also paid the transaction charges before the officers reportedly shared the money among themselves.
Describing the officers’ conduct as disgraceful, the police commissioner said they had no business wearing the police uniform.
“I must say here too 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 a highly placed person in society. In clear terms, they extorted the Chairman of the ICPC,” Sanusi said.
Investigations, he explained, showed that the officers had formed what he described as a criminal gang after leaving their respective divisions to operate the illegal checkpoint.
The command subsequently declared the officers wanted before arresting the alleged gang leader, whose confession led to the arrest of the remaining members of the group.
Sanusi assured the public that the officers would face severe disciplinary measures, including possible dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force.
He also reiterated the directive of the Inspector-General of Police prohibiting officers from conducting indiscriminate searches of citizens’ mobile phones during patrols.
The commissioner advised residents to reject any unlawful request by police officers to inspect their phones on the roadside and to immediately report such incidents through the police emergency lines.
He further urged members of the public to report cases of extortion, harassment and other forms of misconduct by police personnel, assuring them that offenders would be investigated and sanctioned in accordance with the law.