The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has detained four police officers accused of extorting N53,000 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 media briefing on Monday, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, described the officers as criminals who had no place in the Nigeria Police Force. He said the officers abandoned their assigned duty posts, formed an illegal team and mounted an unauthorised checkpoint around the Banex area of Wuse, where they allegedly extorted the ICPC chairman without knowing his identity.
According to Sanusi, the officers forced Aliyu to withdraw N53,000 through a Point of Sale (POS) operator, pay the transaction charges and then shared the money among themselves. Investigations later revealed that the suspects had been operating as a gang, targeting motorists at the illegal checkpoint before fleeing the scene.
The police commissioner said the officers were declared wanted before the arrest of their gang leader, whose confession led to the capture of the remaining members. He assured that the suspects would face severe disciplinary measures, including dismissal from the force where necessary.
Sanusi also reminded officers that the Inspector-General of Police had banned the indiscriminate search of citizens’ mobile phones during patrols. He urged residents to reject any unlawful request to search their phones and immediately report such incidents through the police emergency lines, assuring the public that cases of extortion and misconduct would be thoroughly investigated and offenders brought to justice.
