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Four police officers have been taken into custody by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command over allegations that they extorted N53,000 from the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, during an unauthorised stop-and-search operation.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, confirmed the detention on Monday while speaking with journalists in Abuja.
He condemned the officers’ conduct, saying their actions did not reflect the values of the force.
The officers are accused of abandoning their assigned posts and setting up an illegal checkpoint around the Banex area of Wuse, where they stopped Aliyu without knowing his identity, Sanusi said.
The ICPC chairman was reportedly taken to a Point of Sale operator, where he withdrew N53,000 and paid transaction charges before the officers shared the money among themselves, he added.
“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. In clear terms, they extorted the Chairman of the ICPC,” he said.
“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.
“They are a gang of criminals who left various divisions, clustered together, moved to Wuse Banex and created a checkpoint where they perpetrated this act before fleeing.”
He said the command declared the officers wanted before their gang leader was arrested, leading to the apprehension of the other members.
“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 added.
The commissioner also reiterated the Inspector-General of Police’s ban on indiscriminate searches of mobile phones by officers on patrol, advising citizens to refuse such demands and to report incidents through official emergency lines.
“We will still enforce the IG’s directive. Some of them are on the task because they are criminally minded. They want to perpetrate such acts. If we get them, they will face disciplinary actions and will be made to face the consequences,” Sanusi said.
