Four police officers who acted beyond official schedule of duties at an illegal checkpoint in Banex Plaza vicinity in Wuse II District of Abuja, have been arrested.
The policemen who mounted an illegal checkpoint with the aim of extorting motorists under the cover of ‘Stop, search, collect, and move’, are now in the custody of the police for trial.
Luck ran out of the arrested police officers when they stopped an unknown customer, Dr. Musa Aliyu, SAN, who is the Chairman of ICPC.
The police officers, who swore to crime, allegedly forced the head of anti-corruption agency in the country to fund corruption.
Commissioner of Police in-charge of the FCT Command, CP Ahmed Sanusi, stated that the arrested officers abandoned their duty posts to form their own mini-extortion syndicate. On noticing the vehicle of Dr. Aliyu which moved without the usual siren, the police officers flagged it to stop.
As is the usual practice of how they intimidate motorists who are usually at their mercies, they demanded for the papers of the ICPC chairman’s vehicle and phone or he should drop something.
Dr Aliyu, who initially thought, it was a joke or a skit, was allegedly forced to follow them to a nearby POS and made to withdraw ₦53,000 inclusive of POS charges.
Surprisingly, the officers shared the money like boys who just hit a jackpot, but without an iota of knowing the personality or public office holder, they forcefully extorted.
The ICPC chairman left the scene quietly and made a call and lodged a complaint.
And swiftly, the FCT Command declared the officers wanted as the detectives sent by CP Sanusi moved decisively and picked the officers up and later interrogation led to confessions of the four police officers that mounted illegal checkpoint for extortion purpose.
According to CP Sanusi; “Those are criminals. They have no place in the Nigeria Police Force. We will dismiss them, and they will be severely punished.
“As a police officer, you cannot just 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,” the FCT police boss said.
CP Sanusi went further and vowed that the command will keep fishing and flushing out bad eggs from the Force, stressing; “Corrupt personnel will not be tolerated within the Force”.
