Irony as police arrest 4 officers for extorting ICPC chairman in Abuja
In a classic case of entering the wrong market, four police officers are currently singing in detention after they unknowingly extorted from the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu, SAN).
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command confirmed the arrest on Monday during a press briefing in Abuja.
Addressing journalists, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, did not mince words. He openly labeled the detained officers as “thieves” who have no business wearing the Nigerian Police uniform.
According to CP Sanusi, the rogue officers abandoned their official duty posts, pooled themselves into a syndicate, and set up an unauthorized checkpoint around the busy Banex area of Wuse, Abuja.
It was at this illegal stop-and-search point that they flagged down the ICPC boss, completely oblivious to his identity.
Forced to pay POS charges
The police boss revealed that the officers forced the ICPC to withdraw through a Point of Sale (POS) operator. To add insult to injury, the anti-graft czar was made to pay the accompanying transaction charges before the officers shared the loot.
READ ALSO: Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya wins NBA presidential race amid technical storm
“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,” CP Sanusi stated. “In clear terms, they extorted the chairman of the ICPC. They took him to a POS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges, and they shared the money among themselves.”
How the syndicate was smashed
The CP explained that after the incident was reported, the command immediately launched a manhunt and declared the officers wanted.
The breakthrough came with the arrest of the gang leader. Following intense interrogation, the leader confessed and sang like a canary, leading detectives straight to the remaining three members of the syndicate.
Promising swift justice, the CP added that “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.”
Using the opportunity to remind the public of their rights, the FCT Police Command reiterated that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has strictly banned the indiscriminate searching of citizens’ mobile phones by patrol officers.
CP Sanusi advised residents to boldly refuse any roadside demands by officers to search their phones and to immediately report such encounters using official emergency lines.
“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,” Sanusi urged.
He assured residents that the command remains fully committed to enforcing the IGP’s directives, warning that criminally minded officers who flout these rules to extort Nigerians will face severe disciplinary actions and the full wrath of the law.
