BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has detained four police officers over allegations of extorting ₦53,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), during an unauthorised stop-and-search operation in Abuja.
Operating like an elusive shadow squad, the rogue officers abandoned their designated posts to set up an illegal checkpoint in the Banex area of Wuse, Abuja, unaware that a commuter they had just cornered and forced to pay a ₦53,000 bribe via a local POS operator was none other than the boss of the anti-graft agency.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, who disclosed the development on Monday while briefing journalists in Abuja, the nation’s Capital, said the officers have been taken into custody and are undergoing disciplinary procedures over the disgraceful incident.
Describing the detained officers as criminals who had no business wearing the uniform, CP Sanusi confirmed that they are now facing severe disciplinary and dismissal procedures.
According to the Commissioner, the true identity of their victim remained hidden during the encounter, but their luck ran out quickly as they were promptly after the Command launched an investigation immediately the unfortunate incident came to its attention.
He said preliminary investigations indicate that the officers allegedly abandoned their assigned duty posts, converged around the Banex area in Wuse, and set up an illegal checkpoint where they reportedly extorted money from motorists, alleging further that the rogue officers stopped Dr. Aliyu without recognising him and compelled him to withdraw ₦53,000 through a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, in addition to paying the associated transaction charges, before allegedly sharing the money among themselves.
The Police boss described the officers’ actions as criminal and inconsistent with the standards expected of members of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), assuring that they would face appropriate disciplinary measures if found culpable
He disclosed that following the investigation, the officers involved were declared wanted, while the arrest of the alleged gang leader subsequently led investigators to the other suspects, even as he assured that the Command would ensure all those found responsible are sanctioned in accordance with police regulations, including dismissal where applicable.
While reiterating the Inspector-General of Police (IGP)’s directives prohibiting officers on patrol from conducting indiscriminate searches of citizens’ mobile phones, the Police Commissioner urged members of the public not to submit to unlawful demands for roadside phone searches.
He said anyone confronted with such criminal requests should immediately report the officers through the police emergency lines or other official complaint channels, promising that the Command would not treat with kids gloves incidents of extortion, harassment and other forms of police misconduct promptly reported by members of the public.
Importantly, Commissioner Sanusi assured that the Command remains committed to identifying erring officers and holding them accountable for their actions.
