The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 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), at an illegal checkpoint in Abuja.
The officers allegedly stopped Aliyu, unaware of his identity, and compelled him to withdraw the money from a nearby Point of Sale (POS) operator before sharing the proceeds among themselves.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed the incident on Monday while briefing journalists in Abuja. He described the officers as criminals who have no place in the Nigeria Police Force.
According to Sanusi, the suspects abandoned their official duty posts and converged around the Banex area of Wuse, where they established an unauthorized stop-and-search checkpoint to extort motorists and other road users.
“The officers extorted the Chairman of the ICPC of ₦53,000. They took him to a POS operator, where he withdrew the money, paid the charges, and they shared the money among themselves,” Sanusi stated.
The commissioner revealed that investigations uncovered an extortion syndicate involving the officers, who operated outside their assigned locations to prey on unsuspecting members of the public.
He explained that after complaints were received, the command declared the suspects wanted and subsequently arrested the alleged gang leader. Information obtained during interrogation led to the arrest of the remaining 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,” Sanusi said.
The police commissioner also reiterated that officers are not authorized to stop citizens and search their mobile phones during patrols, stressing that such actions are prohibited under existing directives of the Inspector-General of Police.
“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 added.
Sanusi assured residents of the FCT that the command remains committed to identifying, investigating and sanctioning officers involved in extortion, illegal checkpoints and other forms of misconduct, emphasizing that corrupt personnel will not be tolerated within the force.
