Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested and 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.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Ahmed Sanusi, said the officers acted outside the law by abandoning their assigned duty posts to set up an unauthorized checkpoint around the Banex area in Wuse.
According to the police commissioner, the officers intercepted the ICPC chairman without knowing his identity and allegedly forced him to withdraw ₦53,000 through a Point of Sale (POS) operator. He said the victim was also made to bear the transaction charges before the officers shared the money among themselves.
“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.
The commissioner condemned the officers’ conduct, describing them as “thieves” who had no place in the Nigeria Police Force.
He further alleged that the officers formed “a gang of criminals” after leaving their various divisions to establish the illegal checkpoint, carry out the extortion and flee the scene.
Sanusi disclosed that the command declared the suspects wanted before apprehending their gang leader, whose confession reportedly led investigators to the other three officers.
“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,” he stated.
The FCT police boss also reminded officers and the public that the Inspector-General of Police has prohibited the indiscriminate search of citizens’ mobile phones during patrols.
“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.
Sanusi urged residents of the Federal Capital Territory to report cases of extortion and other forms of police misconduct, assuring that the command would investigate every complaint and ensure any officer found guilty faces appropriate disciplinary action.
