Politics
Police arrest four officers for allegedly extorting ICPC chairman
THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has detained four officers accused of extorting N53,000 from the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, at an illegal checkpoint in Abuja.
The Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Ahmed Sanusi, announced the arrests while addressing journalists on Monday, July 20, saying the officers had formed what he described as a criminal gang operating outside their assigned responsibilities.
According to Sanusi, investigations showed that the officers left their designated duty posts and mounted an unauthorised stop-and-search point around the Banex area in Wuse, where they intercepted Aliyu without realising he headed one of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies.
He alleged that the officers escorted the ICPC chairman to a nearby Point of Sale (PoS) terminal, where he withdrew N53,000, paid the transaction charges, and handed over the money before they allegedly shared the proceeds.
“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,” Sanusi said.
He added: “In clear terms, they extorted the chairman of the ICPC. They extorted him of N53,000. They took him to a PoS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges and they shared the money among themselves.”
The commissioner explained that the command launched an investigation after the incident, declaring the suspects wanted. He noted that detectives first apprehended the alleged leader of the group, whose statement led to the arrest of the remaining officers.
Describing their actions as criminal rather than professional misconduct, Sanusi said the command would pursue disciplinary measures against all those found culpable.
“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 vowed.
The police commissioner used the occasion to restate the Inspector-General of Police’s directive banning officers from searching citizens’ mobile phones during patrols or routine stop-and-search operations.
He urged Abuja residents to refuse unlawful requests by officers to inspect their phones and to promptly report such incidents through the police command’s emergency channels.
Sanusi acknowledged that despite repeated directives from the police leadership, some officers continued to engage in extortion and other forms of misconduct.
He said the command would continue to identify and sanction officers who abuse their powers, stressing that those involved in criminal acts would face both internal disciplinary procedures and other legal consequences where necessary.
The arrests come amid persistent public complaints about extortion at illegal checkpoints and renewed efforts by the Nigeria Police Force to curb abuses by personnel, particularly those involving the harassment of motorists and the unlawful search of mobile phones.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M
